Sounding the alarm on pumpkin waste
By Nidhi Mahajan
The spooky season is upon us once more. Out come the decorations, the costumes, the sweets, and let’s not forget the fruit of the season: pumpkins. Many households in the UK will have at least one carved pumpkin sitting proudly in their windows, on their front lawns or decorating their doorstep, warding off “evil spirits”.
While Halloween is a night of tricks and treats, it is also a nightmare for food waste.
Every year 10 million pumpkins are grown in the UK, 95% of which are used at Halloween. Around 2 million discarded pumpkins end up in general household bins rather than food compost bins (1). In the UK alone, a staggering 18,000 tonnes of uneaten pumpkins are discarded each year (2).
When sent to landfill, pumpkins and other organic materials decompose and produce methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas that is 20 times more effective (3) at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Reducing food waste can play a crucial role in mitigating these effects.
To combat this issue various councils across the UK, such as Warwickshire County Council (4), have provided resources and tips on what to do with pumpkins and food waste in general. If you don’t have a council compost bin, you could also see if there are any local community composting programmes in your area.
Did you know that pumpkins and other organic matter can processed through anaerobic digestion to produce biogas, which can then be converted into renewable electricity, powering homes and transport?
Check out Alice’s blog below for some delicious ways to use pumpkins in your kitchen!
By adopting these practices and raising awareness about the issue, we can significantly reduce the amount of edible food that is thrown away and make a positive impact on our planet. Embracing a more sustainable approach to our pumpkin consumption not only helps minimise waste but also enriches our culinary experiences, allowing us to enjoy the season while caring for our environment. Let’s make this Halloween not just a time for celebration but also an opportunity to make a difference!
- BBC News – Pumpkin farmer carves out plan for Halloween waste
- The Guardian – Over half UK’s 24m Halloween pumpkins destined for food waste
- World Economic Forum – Are Halloween pumpkins a problem for the planet?
- Warwickshire County Council – Warwickshire residents are encouraged to take a green approach to their pumpkin celebrations
From Lanterns to Leftovers: Delicious Ways to Stop 22 Million Pumpkins Going to Waste This Halloween
By Anna Price
Since the 1800s, pumpkins have been the gourd of choice when it comes to lantern carving (1), but the waste this produces is both an environmental hazard and economic absurdity, translating to £32.6 million of wasted money. When you consider the rising cost of living and food banks being utilised more than ever before – this simply doesn’t make sense (2). So this Halloween, instead of ditching your pumpkin after carving, why not try out some of the recipes listed below to make the most of the seasonal harvest!
Making a puree is a great place to start when it comes to using up your pumpkin. This can be used for cakes, cookies, pies, pasta sauces and more! Simply roast your pumpkin, once cool, remove the skins and blend!
Pumpkin soup is an easy, cosy and delicious way to use up the pumpkin flesh and the scraped out insides which are often thrown away. This BBC Good Food recipe takes less than an hour and is the perfect for blending in pumpkin pieces which might otherwise have ended up in the bin. Other veg in the fridge could also be added such as celery or carrots, especially if it needs using up!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1kg pumpkin
- 2 brown onions
- 700 ml vegetable stock
- 150ml (or I would recommend a bit less than this) double cream (or soy/oat/coconut alternative)
I was a bit nervous to try these out but they were actually delicious, if you’re into carrot cake, I’d definitely recommend trying out this seasonal twist!
Ingredients :
- 175g self raising flour (or mix plain flour and baking powder if you don’t have any!)
- 175g light brown sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- Zest of ½ an orange
- 2 large eggs
- 100g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 100g sultanas/chopped nuts
- 250g pumpkin (grated or pureed)
For a cream cheese frosting:
- 100g unsalted butter
- 300g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk/double cream
- 150g cream cheese
Vegan pumpkin cupcake recipe can be found here.
A popular fall favourite in the US, pumpkin pie is another great way to use up your lantern leftovers! This recipe comes with the addition of a maple and pecan cream which definitely did not disappoint…
Ingredients:
- 550g pumpkin (I used the puree I made earlier)
- 500g shortcrust pastry
- 175g light muscovado sugar (light brown sugar worked just fine for me!)
- 2 eggs
- 140ml double cream
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ginger
- A sprinkle/grating of nutmeg
For the cream:
- 140ml double cream
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
- 25g pecans
A vegan pumpkin pie recipe that comes HIGHLY recommended can also be found here.
Pumpkin seeds can be roasted in their shell for about 10 minutes to make a crunchy snack. I saw recommendations for adding spices such as harissa, curry powder and paprika. I tried adding some honey, cinnamon and salt to make a sweet and salty snack. If you don’t fancy the crunch, the shells were also much easier to break off after roasting, revealing the seeds which could be used to top soups, porridge, granola or in a homemade bird feed!
Tricks For an Environmentally Friendly Halloween:
- Decorating your pumpkin rather than carving it helps keep your pumpkin fresher for longer until you’re ready to cut and cook it, helping reduce waste and creating a safer, seasonal activity for younger people!
- Beware of the dangers of leaving your pumpkin out in woods and parks! Contrary to recent claims that this is beneficial for local wildlife, pumpkins can actually make animals including hedgehogs, foxes and birds really sick! Read more about this on the Forestry England website.
- If it’s past its best, add pumpkin to your compost instead! This can be a great source of nitrogen and water to use on your garden when planting next spring. Community gardens, zoos and farms may be happy to take your pumpkin off your hands if you don’t have a compost bin!
- Food 52 – The 200-Year-Old History Behind Why We Carve Pumpkins
- Sustainable Food Trust – The problem with pumpkins: Reducing food waste at Halloween
