Forestry England has warned people against dumping pumpkins in the woods
(Picture: Mark Duffel/Unsplash)Pumpkins are ubiquitous Halloween decorations, but eventually they collapse and rot.
Their flesh does not need to be discarded as rubbish, however, as there are numerous great ways to recycle rotten pumpkins.
Furthermore, Forestry England has urged the public to avoid leaving pumpkins in the woods.
Here are five things to do with your rotting pumpkin...
What should I do with my rotting pumpkin now that Halloween is over?
1. Eat the seeds
After you’ve removed the seeds from your pumpkin, you can rinse them, drizzle them with oil and season them with your favourite spices.
You can also roast them for a healthy snack, or use them as a crunchy topping for soups and salads.
2. Cook the pieces of pumpkin you carve out
Once you’ve carved the pumpkin, you can then season and roast the pieces you cut out. Add them to pasta, risotto, or make a pumpkin stew.
The other bits of your pumpkin will also be fine to eat for a few hours if you leave them somewhere cool and dry.
3. Feed leftover pumpkin to your chickens
If you happen to have chickens, they might enjoy eating leftover pieces of pumpkin.
You can feed them the seeds and flesh that’s scraped out of the pumpkin when it’s been carved. Cutting it in half will make it easier for your chickens to enjoy it.
It is best to feed the leftover pumpkin pieces to your chickens within a day or two of carving, before mould or bacteria build up.
4. Plant the pumpkin
If you don’t have a compost pile, you can compost pumpkins by burying them in the yard. Choose an area that needs extra nutrients, or bury them in the garden, where they will naturally decay.
5. Make an easy bird feeder
Cut your carved pumpkin into halves and fill each half with birdseed, meaning you have an impromptu bird feeder. Birds will also nibble on the pumpkin’s flesh, and they don’t mind if it’s a bit soft.
