Save Your Pumpkins This Halloween!

Halloween can be a fun holiday but with it comes a LOT of waste - from plastic sweetie wrappers to plastic decoration and halloween costumes (did you know most Halloween costumes are made from polyester plastic and get thrown out after one use?) Today we’re going to talk about the waste from PUMPKINS!

Did you know?

18,000 tonnes of pumpkin are thrown away each year, that’s EIGHT MILLION PUMPKINS. That’s the same weight as 1,500 double decker buses! 60% of people admitted that they carve pumpkins but throw away the flesh!! In fact 95% of pumpkins of the 10million grown in the UK are hollowed out for spooky lanterns! (research by Knorr and Hubbub)

Where does pumpkin waste go?

25% throw it in the bin as food waste.

19% add it to the compost heap

20% put it in the food waste collection

33% cook the edible pumping they carve out. 

We get so carried away carving out spooky ghouls we sometimes forget that pumpkin is a versatile and delicious veggie - they’re low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and full of vitamins A, C and E as well as fibre - not so spooky anymore! 

If you’re not sure where to start with your pumpkin, we’ve gathered some recipes from across the web to give you some inspiration! 

How to prepare pumpkin seeds via Jamie Oliver

Scrape the seeds from your pumpkin with a wide, flat spoon.

Pull away the strings of flesh (keep them for our other recipes!) then rinse the seeds clean in a bowl of water

Spread them evenly over a large baking tray and cover them with olive oil. Then sprinkle them with sea salt. You could also add fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Mix until well coated.

Bake at 180C/350F/gas 4 for around 10 minutes or until seeds are lightly golden brown. Leave to cool and store in an airtight container. 

Pumpkin Pie via BBC Good Food

Go all American and make a pumpkin pie! 

Ingredients

750g pumpkin or butternut squash - peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
350g sweet shortcrust pastry
Plain flour (for dusting)
140g caster sugar 
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
25g butter, melted
175ml milk
1 tbsp icing sugar

Method

Place the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins or until tender. Drain pumpkin and let cool.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is pale golden and biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine. Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue to bake for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set

Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled.

Crusted Pumpkin Wedges via Hubbub

Ingredients:
700g pumpkin (skin on)
50g Parmesan, grated
20g dried white breadcrumbs
6 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2½ tsp finely chopped thyme
Grated zest of 2 large lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
60ml olive oil

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190° C . Cut the pumpkin into 1cm thick slices and lay them flat, cut-side down, on a baking sheet that has been lined with greaseproof paper.

2. Mix together in a small bowl the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, half the lemon zest, the garlic, a tiny amount of salt (remember, the Parmesan is salty) and some pepper.

3. Brush the pumpkin generously with olive oil and sprinkle with the crust mix, making sure the slices are covered with a nice, thick coating. Gently pat the mix down a little.

4. Place the pan in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender: stick a little knife in one wedge to make sure it has softened and is cooked through. If the topping starts to darken too much during cooking, cover loosely with foil.

Pumpkin Soup (in only 20 minutes!) - Loving it Vegan

Such an easy recipe but you will need a blender! 

Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger (minced or finely chopped)
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2.2lb/1kg pumpkin, peeled and cubed
400ml can coconut cream
360ml vegetable stock

Method

1. Add the coconut oil to a pot with the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and sauté.

Then add the thyme and cayenne pepper and sauté until the onions are softened.

2. Add in the coconut cream and vegetable stock and the pumpkin and bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is soft and cooked (around 10 minutes).

3. Using a blender, blend everything until smooth inside the pot. If you haven’t got an immersion blender, then transfer to a blender jug in stages and blend until smooth.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some pumpkin seeds as garnish.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Who can say no to a warming bowl of pasta, especially now the days are getting shorter and colder. This recipe is a great way to get fussy eaters to get their veggies. You could also chop up some peppers to add to the mix if you fancied. 

Ingredients
1 kilo of pumpkin flesh, chopped into 1 cm pieces.
4 tomatoes
200g of spinach
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
3 sprigs of rosemary
500ml water
1 vegetable stock cube/1 tablespoon of vegetable bouillon
1 red chillI

Method:
1. Place all the ingredients apart from the spinach into a heavy bottomed large frying pan. Place the lid on and leave for 30 minutes on a low heat.
2. When the pumpkin is soft, stir and turn off the heat and cover. If you like, you can blend for a smooth texture.
3. Chop the spinach and add to the sauce to wilt.
4. Add to your pasta or gnocchi garnished with crispy sage or rosemary.

So don’t let them go to waste, make your pumpkins count this year!!