It is Halloween week and house decorating is in full swing preparing for trick or treaters which only means one thing. Pumpkins.
Carving pumpkins is a staple at Halloween time and can be fun for the whole family but what do you do with the left-over pumpkin?
Most households throw away the pulp and seeds without knowing there are other uses for both. Here are some ideas to get the most of your pumpkin.
1. Roast the seeds
Why throw away your pumpkin seeds after fashioning your creations when you can easily roast the seeds for a tasty snack in 10 minutes. All you need are the seeds and two tsp of olive oil.
Simply preheat your oven to gas 6/ 200C/ 180 fan and remove all the flesh from the seeds then wash and dry thoroughly.
Add the seeds to a baking sheet and cover with olive oil, add seasonings of your choice (chilli powder is my go-to) and roast for ten minutes.
And there you have a quick and easy way to snack after carving your pumpkin.
2. Facemasks
Did you know pumpkins are high in vitamin A, C and E as well as antioxidants? Making a facemask from the insides of a pumpkin has a variety of health benefits for the skin.
Such as:
Plumping the face and improving elasticity, reducing redness and inflammation, it exfoliates and leaves the skin with a healthy glow.
You can achieve this facemask in 3 simple steps.
- Scoop out your pumpkin and add 1tbsp brown sugar, oats, and coconut oil
- Combine the ingredients together by blending or mashing
- Then leave on the skin for 15 minutes before removing.
Then you can store it in an airtight container and use for up to 3 days and enjoy the benefits to the skin.
3. Compost
If you have a green thumb pumpkins are perfect for composting due to their high potassium level. Breaking down quickly, they offer nutrients to the soil and promote plant growth.
Jack-O lanterns are also a tasty snack for earthworms which is handy as they significantly help the soil so feeding them will improve your garden.
So, add the guts to the soil and even the pumpkin itself if you think your plants need a helping hand.
4. Grow your own pumpkin
The seeds are perfectly usable to plant and grow your own pumpkin.
It is essential to make sure that you wash them thoroughly and set them in a cool dry place for at least three days to ensure not just the outside is dry but also the inside.
If you are not planting the pumpkins straight away (the best time to start growing pumpkins is April) then they should be left in a paper envelope.
Avoid plastic. Plastic can hold moisture and cause mold leaving the seeds unusable as it does not breathe like paper would.
5. Make a puree
Creating a puree from leftover pumpkin is something you can add to a variety of foods like pies, muffins, bread, and soups.
It is easy to get a meal out of your Jack-o-lantern using the strings and flesh to form a puree.
It is as simple as separating the seeds for another use and adding the flesh and stringy parts onto a tray with a splash of water and baking them at gas 6/ 200C/ 180 fan for 60-90 minutes.
Then blend and store in an airtight container and add into your recipes to see what you can make with pumpkin.