National Pumpkin Day 2022

October 26th is National Pumpkin Day and to celebrate we are sharing with you 5 ways to make use of your pumpkin throughout Halloween!

Food waste is a huge environmental and economic issue and, according to charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), is associated with 25million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK alone.

Every year, 10 million pumpkins are grown in the UK. Of those, 95% are used at Halloween and then thrown away - creating 18,000 tonnes of food waste – ghosts and witches aren’t the only frightening thing to be aware of this Halloween. With just 33% of pumpkin buyers consuming their pumpkin we want to show you how to make full use of your Halloween pumpkin!

• Cook it!  This vibrant autumnal vegetable is not only versatile and tasty, but also contains lots of vitamins and minerals while being low in sugar and high in fibre. Check out these top 20 pumpkin recipes – you will be spoilt for choice for what to make! Top 20 pumpkin recipes | BBC Good Food

• Don’t forget the seeds! Again the nutritional content in pumpkin seeds is worth sifting through the pumpkin pulp. If they don’t take your fancy, the birds in your garden will be sure to enjoy.

• Turn your pumpkin into a bird feeder! Follow Gardeners World’s step by step guide to turn your pumpkin into a bird feeder. Birds and squirrels alike will be able to perch on your creation and will have a choice of seeds and pumpkin to eat!

• Pumpkin Pamper Session! Get the glow by whipping together your very own pumpkin face mask.  

• Give your soil some TLC! After using all of what you can from your pumpkin, pop the final remnants into the compost, all the nutrients and goodness will do your plants wonders in the coming months. Don’t forget to remove any candles or lights beforehand.

Photo from: The environmental impact of Halloween pumpkins | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)