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Top tips to get the most out of your pumpkin this Halloween

Claire Murrihy by Claire Murrihy
November 2, 2024
A A
pumpkin

Along with Halloween traditions can come a frightening amount of waste. Thankfully, you can avoid that with these pumpkin recipes to use up all that carved-out goodness

Are you planning on doing some pumpkin carving?

As the spookiest night of the year approaches, food-waste expert Sophie Trueman from Too Good To Go shares her top ‘tricks’ to making your pumpkin go further.

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Homemade pumpkin bread 

If you haven’t tried this before, you’re in for a treat.

Ingredients 

  • 200g pumpkin 
  • 80g butter 
  • 100g sugar 
  • 1 egg 
  • 125g plain flour 
  • ¼ tsp salt 
  • 1/2tsp baking soda 
  • 1tsp baking powder 
  • 1/2tsp ground ginger 
  • 1/2tsp ground cinnamon 
  • 1/2tsp ground nutmeg 

Method 

  • Preheat oven to 170C, and grease and flour a loaf tin
  • Cut scooped pumpkin into similar-sized pieces, then steam for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Mash pumpkin until smooth, then leave in a sieve to strain for about 20-30 minutes, or until no water is draining through the sieve. 
  • Cream butter and sugar together until pale. Add egg and continue to whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in drained, cooled pumpkin. 
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. 
  • Gently combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed – don’t worry if there are a few lumps. 
  • Smooth the batter into the loaf tin, then bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 
  • Enjoy warm, or store in an airtight container. 

Tasty pumpkin seed snack 

Pumpkin seeds are far too delicious – and nutritious – to throw in the bin. Follow these easy steps to roast them into a tasty snack. 

Method 

  • Scoop the seeds from the pumpkin, then do your best to separate as much of the stringy pulp as possible from the seeds.  
  • Place the seeds in a bowl with water and whisk quickly. The seeds will separate from the remaining pulp, and float to the top.  
  • Press the seeds with a tea towel to dry them, then place them on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  
  • Bake at 170C for 10-15 minutes, or until crunchy. 

Pumpkin face mask  

Pumpkins are packed with Vitamin A, C and E and are known to be an excellent source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. However, if you don’t want to eat them, they also make a rich face mask for all skin types. Greek yoghurt is a great addition to moisturise skin while honey acts as a gentle exfoliant to remove dead skin cells.  

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree 
  • 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt 
  • 1 teaspoon honey 

Method 

  • Use a small leftover pumpkin to make a puree by simply cooking and mashing with a fork.  
  • Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. 
  • Before applying the face mask, cleanse your face thoroughly and do a patch skin test. 
  • Apply the paste with clean hands to the face but avoid sensitive areas.  
  • Depending on the skin type, the paste can be left on for 10-15 minutes.  
  • After, gently rinse the skin with warm water and follow with normal skincare routine.  

Bonus activity: Composting your pumpkin

Another great way to recycle pumpkins is to compost them as they are very beneficial for the health of the soil.  

Method 

  • Remove all the ornaments from the pumpkin, including pumpkin seeds if not already.  
  • For faster acceleration, cut and smash the pumpkin into smaller pieces. 
  • Find a space in the garden and dig a small hole. 
  • Place the smashed/cut up pumpkin in it and cover it back up with soil. 

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