Pumpkin carving is an important part of Halloween fun, but it usually leaves plenty of mess to clear up, from seeds scattered across the worktop to a bowl of stringy pulp overflowing onto the dining room table. And once the celebrations are over, there's the lantern on the doorstep to think about too.
Whether you're saving fresh ingredients for a recipe or wondering which bin to use, there are a few simple ways to make the most of your pumpkin and deal with anything left over.
Here’s how to clear up after a carving session and decide what to do with your pumpkins once Halloween is over.
1. Keep pumpkin pulp and seeds out of the sink
It’s tempting to wash the last bits of pumpkin off your chopping board and straight down the plughole. But before you rinse everything away, it’s important to keep those leftovers out of the kitchen drain.
Keeping pumpkin flesh, stringy pulp and seeds out of the drain helps prevent blockages. The same goes for other food scraps, fats, oils and grease.
To make the clean up easier, put a bowl beside your carving area and scoop the insides directly into it. Remember to keep any fresh ingredients you plan to cook with separate from waste. Scrape boards, utensils and trays before washing them, then use a sink strainer to catch stray pieces. Empty the strainer into your food waste container or compost, where suitable.
If you're separating seeds for cooking, loosen the pulp in a bowl of water and lift out the solids before emptying the water through a strainer. Don't use the kitchen tap to push scraps the plughole.
If your kitchen sink is already draining slowly, remove any visible scraps from the strainer or plughole. If it remains blocked or the problem keeps returning, ask a plumber to investigate.
2. Check your council’s pumpkin collection rules
There isn’t one garden bin rule that applies everywhere. Check your own council’s current guidance for pumpkins and food waste, including which container to use, whether pieces need cutting down and which liners are accepted.
Some councils accept chopped-up pumpkins in food waste collections, while others collect food and garden waste separately. Check your local council’s guidance rather than assuming your pumpkin can go in the garden waste bin, and remove any candles, lights and decorations first.
If you don’t have a suitable food waste collection or home composting option, ask your council which disposal route to use. Don’t assume a garden waste subscription includes pumpkins.
3. Save fresh ingredients while you carve
A pumpkin sold for carving can be edible, but that doesn’t mean a lantern left on display is suitable for dinner.
If you want to cook with your pumpkin, plan ahead: use clean hands, utensils and containers, and set aside fresh flesh and seeds during preparation, before the pumpkin becomes a decoration. Keep what you intend to use stored in the fridge until your ready to cook.
Fresh pumpkin flesh can go into soup, curry or a loaf, while seeds can be roasted. Carving varieties tend to be more watery and fibrous than other pumpkins so often work well in soups and stews.
Don’t use a deteriorating lantern or pumpkin contaminated by craft materials, candle wax or other treatments. If you’re unsure how it has been handled or stored, choose disposal rather than trying to rescue it for a meal.
4. Compost suitable pumpkin leftovers
f you compost at home, chopping up your leftover pumpkin is another useful way to put it to good use.
Remove any candles, lights and decorations first, and follow the guidance for your composting system. Avoid adding painted or treated pumpkins unless you’ve checked that the materials are suitable.
5. Don’t leave pumpkins in woods or parks
Leaving a pumpkin outdoors for animals can seem like a helpful way to reuse it, but environmental experts beg to differ.
Leaving pumpkins in woods especially is not advised as it can cause harm to wildlife and woodland habitats as they rot.
