Okay, I don’t want to rob Halloween of its fun, but did you know that we only turn about 1/5 of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. each year into usable, edible pumpkin {think canned pumpkin puree}? According to NPR, we grow 1.91 BILLION pounds of pumpkins each year, and most of them are used to carve up and then toss.
Lots of us scrape out those delicious seeds and roast them. So, that’s something. BUT, most of the varieties that work the best for carving are not the same varieties that taste the best for say…pumpkin pie. That’s not to say they aren’t edible, though. They totally are. They just aren’t as sweet. Plus, even if you have done your best to preserve your carved pumpkin, after it has been sitting out in the great outdoors all carved and smiling, it tends to start to rot, attract bugs, dirt, and other unwanted debris. If you DO want to eat them, you could always try a no-carve pumpkin and turn it into pumpkin puree after the holiday?
I am certainly not suggesting that we stop carving pumpkins. Carved pumpkins are awesome. The article does mention, however, that all of these discarded pumpkins end up in the landfills, where they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. So, I say we at least harvest the seeds {Don’t want to roast them? Try pumpkin seed brittle instead.}, and then toss the rest into our own backyard compost piles. Problem solved. That rotting pumpkin can live to grow more pumpkins next year.
Did I totally just pressure you into starting a compost pile?!
~Mavis
Carrie says
I’m always really sad about tossing my carved pumpkin in the compost. I even wait to carve it 1-2 days before Halloween in hopes it will be ok to bake. I still buy pie pumpkins and sit them around the house until after the holiday – that way you get more bang for your buck!
Mavis Butterfield says
I agree. Those little sugar pie pumpkins are the biggest bang for the buck!
RebekahU says
I almost always bake our pumpkins and use it to make pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice cake (thanks Mavis for a great recipe!). I keep most of our pumpkins until after Thanksgiving. If we do carve one, I’ll toss it to the chickens. They really love pumpkin.
jayme says
We usually carve ours Halloween day and use the flame less candles in them and I roast them the next day so we can use all we can.
Jayme says
we do the same thing!!
David Lindner says
It’s hard to let things go to waste. Maybe we should just buy reusable, lit up jack-o-lanterns and can the pumpkin! (I just don’t like carving pumpkins…)
sandra says
We leave our pumpkin out on the lawn where we can all see it. We watch it sag and form funny faces until it is almost flat. It takes quite awhile.
mary m says
this year I think we’re painting pumpkins instead of carving. We might carve 1…but I’m going to try cooking the painted ones (after I wash them) in the instant pot…it’s supposed to be easy!
Sue R. says
Give your leftover pumpkins to friends with chickens! Happy hens!
Ann GG says
There’s a family in our small town that places a couple trailers around to collect the pumpkins right after Halloween and they feed them to their cows, pigs, etc… I think it’s pretty cool that they do that. We used to just add them to the compost pile until they started collecting them.
T.J. says
I have a ton of carving pumpkins this year and have been feeding them to the chickens.
Emily says
Actually, the darn squirrels usually start their “tooth carvings” well before Halloween, and on average have half of the things devoured by All Hallows Eve. That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to trying a little composing. BUT I live in a town home community with the dreaded association (I know you feel my pain), and the HOA says no edibles should be left out because they can attract critters.
Is there a way to go all stealth mode with the composting? I have defiantly planted from seed rainbow chard, and will tell them its ornamental if asked. The gnawed pumpkin may be a harder sell.
Jennifer Meyer says
I compost in a large rubber maid storage bin (think Christmas decorations box) and a recycling bin (keeps up better outside, the storage bin will start cracking if exposed to the elements). You can keep the lid closed and drill holes in the bottom and up the side for ventilation. Cuts down on the smell and critters can’t get in.
Dd says
You could bury it.
Amanda says
We painted pumpkins as a birthday party activity. It was fun and we ended up with a bunch of extras and the finger paint washed right off! It was nice not to waste any.
Julie says
I always go to Walmart and the local grocery stores the day before Halloween and buy up all their (now cheap!) pumpkins for my chickens. Sometimes a local hog farmer beats me to it, though.
Deb says
Since my children were little (they are now in their 40’s!) we have painted pumpkins and washed them off the next day. I cut up, peel, and steam the pumpkin and freeze the puree. I make pies, pumpkin bread and other goodies all year and everything tastes lots better than using commercially canned pumpkin. It also costs way less.
Sue says
I was just asking my daughter what happens to all the pumpkins that are not sold for Halloween. Here in the south there are so many every where, it’s a beautiful site but afraid there will be a lot of waste. Didn’t know about giving to chickens. Will tell my sister about that, she’s getting about a dozen eggs a day. It’s getting to the point where she can’t give them away. Ha! Wish I lived closer to her.
Debbie says
My compost pile mysteriously grows pumpkins every year!
Jenny Young says
I always give my pumpkins to friends for their chickens. I don’t usually carve mine so they can be stored in a cool place for a long time. One friend posts on Facebook that she’ll take old pumpkins after the holidays for her flock. She stores them in a cool place & pulls them out one at a time for her hens.
Another thought…what is so bad about tossing them? It’s an industry that gives jobs, they can be composted, they give people joy in the fall, ect. Why stress out about what is done with them after the holidays when it really does not hurt anyone?
Tiffany says
I usually put mine outside on the front step mid-October and bring them in the day after Thanksgiving and roast and freeze them. We don’t carve them, and it’s cool enough mine have always still been good. Drives me crazy to see uncarved ones left on porches beyond that. I tell my husband every time I see one I want to go ask if I can have their pumpkin if they’re going to just leave it there to shrivel up. I can make lots of pumpkin yumminess with those pumpkins!
On another note: I am NO scientist, but I just don’t understand how the pumpkins could give off greenhouse gases that are harmful?! It’s organic material; won’t it degrade in the dump also?
brenda walters says
If I leave mine out on Halloween night, it mysteriously disappears and seems to end up smashed in a road somewhere.
Dierdre S says
We live in Wisconsin’s Northwoods and the deer love pumpkins. Nice treat before rut!