Happy (Belated) Halloween and Day of the Dead!
Last year, I became a bit obsessed with no-waste holiday decorations.
This year is proving to be no different. I usually don't impulse buy items but I had to force myself to walk away from one particular vendor at the farmer's market repeatedly. I was on a baby pumpkin buying rampage and it was getting out of control. They are just so beautiful! And cute. They make me happy.
But really, there is only room for so many on the stoop. So I had to stop.
Now that Halloween is over, those Jack-O-Lanterns are old news for most people. But with food waste being what it is (1.3 Billion Tonnes or about one third of what we collectively grown) and the United States alone wasting about 1.3 Billion pounds of pumpkins every season, it seems like there must be a better way.
There is.
First, pumpkins are delicious and full of beta-carotene, an important antioxidant, so if your pumpkins are of the eating variety, eat them! Roast the seeds and the flesh. I love making pumpkin muffins using this recipe. I also recently made these pumpkin bars from the same site and they were amazing. You can also roast the seeds, which make a perfect zero waste snack and are also chock full of nutrients.
If your pumpkins are too far gone or not for eating, then compost them. Pumpkins are mostly water and the nutrients they contain will benefit your soil greatly. This will also help to reduce the amount of methane and nitrous oxide that is in our environment (here is the post I wrote about the importance of composting), which means you are helping to reduce global warming.
I intend to keep my little pumpkins out until Thanksgiving and then transition into Christmas decorations. It's officially Holiday Season so Happy Holidays!