Repurpose your pumpkin
Pumpkin carving is an iconic part of Halloween and, according to Hubbub, Britain will buy a whopping 40 million pumpkins this year! But scarily, more than half will be thrown away.
To help reduce this startling statistic, read on to discover ideas packed full of pumpkin fun, as well as ways to sustainably dispose of them after the Halloween hijinks has ended.
Let's help stop the pumpkin dumping!
Play
Use your pumpkin for some fun and games with your little one. The whole family can get involved too!
Pumpkin bowling
Find some bowling pins (water bottles, toilet rolls, tins of baked beans) and choose your pumpkin - the more irregular, the greater the challenge!
Pumpkin sensory bag
Save the seeds and guts of your pumpkin when carving and pop them in a trusty sealable bag.
You could include larger chunks or pop in other toys for different consistencies.
Your little one will love squishing and squeezing the pumpkin with none of the mess!
Create
Get your creative juices flowing with some pumpkin arts and crafts, suitable for all ages.
Seed jewellery
Save your seeds, wash them and leave to dry overnight. The next day you can get creative by painting and decorating them.
An adult can use a needle and thread to stitch them together end-to-end or through the centres to make wearable jewellery.
Crayon rubbing
Explore the textures of a pumpkin by creating crayon rubbings. Lay your paper over the skin and rub it with the flat side of a crayon.
Try different parts of the pumpkin or go outside and see what other textures you can find.
Feed
Give back to nature once you have enjoyed your pumpkin as much as you can.
Feed the birds
Take your hollow pumpkin and slice the front off (perhaps the part you carved). Alternatively, you could slice the top half of the pumpkin off to make a bird bath style feeder.
Make holes around the pumpkin to thread string through and hang it from a tree. Fill with bird seed and watch for flying friends!
Top tip: If you don't have any bird seed, you can leave out small amounts of dry breakfast cereal, breadcrumbs, or even cheese!
Feed the wildlife and soil
Leave chunks of pumpkin on a plate for squirrels, foxes and even badgers who all enjoy an autumnal treat.
However, be really careful if you actively attract hedgehogs, as pumpkins can be harmful to their diet.
You can also compost your pumpkin by breaking it down into small pieces and covering it with leaves. Make sure you have scraped off any wax or paint from the pumpkin before you try to compost it.
Top tip: remove the seeds unless you want to be running your own pumpkin patch in the future!
Eat
Get creative in the kitchen with some delicious autumnal dishes that use your pumpkin to its fullest.
Pumpkin soup
Warming and spicy, this soup is a great way to use your pumpkin. Roast the seeds and sprinkle them over the top for the perfect garnish.
Find the recipe here.
Pumpkin muffins
Indulge your sweet tooth with these cinnamon-spiced pumpkin muffins that are sure to make your kitchen smell divine. We added cream cheese frosting for an extra treat!
Find the recipe from BBC Good Food here.
Get ready for next year
Pumpkins are surprisingly easy to grow. Our very own Emma from Kite HQ managed to accidentally (!) grow one after throwing last year's on the compost heap. We think it looks great Emma!
Save a few seeds and give planting a go. You never know, you might end up stocked and ready for next Halloween!
We hope you have found some fun, new ways to enjoy your pumpkin.
Tag us @KiteClothing on our social channels if you want to share with us your very own pumpkin repurposing - we'd love to see your ideas!
Top safety tips
It is recommended you don't try to cut through the pumpkin stem as it is incredibly tough.
Ensure you remove any stickers and candle wax before recycling. If there is any paint or bleach on your pumpkin, it must be kept away from animals.
You shouldn't eat a pumpkin that's been carved and used for decor. You can only eat the innards whilst carving, or whole decorative pumpkins.
