Halloween is quickly approaching and that means that households all around the UK will have started buying their pumpkins ready for the spooky season.
But environmental charity Hubbub have revealed that Brits are set to throw away a whopping £32.6million worth of pumpkins this year.
In a survey of 2,000 residents they found that 56% of pumpkins bought for carving last year were not eaten. Which means that this year an estimated 22.2million pumpkins will go to waste.
Their research also showed that while a third of households said they were taking measures to make their food go further during the cost of living crisis, one in five people don't know how to cook with a pumpkin.
Ellen Rutherfood, Head of Food at Hubbub said: "Pumpkins are more than just a Halloween decoration. They are a cheap, nutritious and versatile source of food, which can go a long way and are great for feeding a crowd."
Hubbub have been encouraging people to eat their pumpkins this year, rather than throwing them away. Here's what you can do with your pumpkin.
What part of the pumpkin is edible?
Pumpkins can be great to cook with because almost all parts of the pumpkin are edible.
The only part that you can't eat is the stalk and whether you can eat the skin or not depends on the variety of pumpkin you have.
Ellen also revealed that all variations of pumpkin are edible, she added: "Even if a pumpkin is labelled a 'carving pumpkin', it is still perfectly edible. Every pumpkin eaten is a step towards tackling the 22 million pumpkins predicted to go to waste this Halloween."
How can I use my pumpkin?
There are a number of ways that you can save your pumpkin from going in the bin.
Hubbub are encouraging people to eat their pumpkins if possible and also revealed that you don't need to slave away cooking your pumpkin during the busy Halloween season.
Ellen said: "We're really keen to spread the word that cooking this delicious vegetable can wait until after the madness of Halloween is over. Only 8% of those who celebrate Halloween freeze the flesh from their pumpkins to use another time."
They've recommended a number of delicious recipes that use up all the edible parts of your pumpkin, including:
- Pumpkin pie
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Pumpkin gnoggi
- Pumpkin soup
- Pumpkin skin crisps
- Pumpkin seed pesto
- Pumpkin and lentil curry
As well as the seeds and flesh, you can even eat the slimy, stringy part of the pumpkin and Hubbub say that this is great for making a broth that can be used in juices or soups.
If you've carved a pumpkin and it's no longer good to eat then you can also save it from going to waste by either putting it out for the birds to enjoy or by composting it.
