As Halloween draws closer, I wanted to write a quick post about leftover pumpkins and their better uses.
For years, I’ve read that wildlife will benefit from
leftover pumpkin, but it turns out that not all of our wildlife benefit from them.
Pumpkin may be life-threatening for hedgehogs
Pumpkins can be fatal to hedgehogs due to their high fibre content and the risk of choking on the seeds. Greedy little creatures that they
are, hedgehogs will often overindulge, particularly so close to hibernation
season. This can result in stomach upset and diarrhoea. A hedgehog with diarrhoea can quickly become dehydrated,
which can be life-threatening. A weakened hedgehog is unlikely to be able to
properly forage for food, which means it may not be able to gain enough weight
to survive hibernation.
If you’d like to put food and water out for hedgehogs, meat-based wet dog or cat food is recommended.
Leftover pumpkin for other wildlife
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t leave your leftover
pumpkin out for other wildlife. Squirrels and birds will likely be grateful for
the treat! Just consider where you can leave the pumpkin, out of a hedgehog's
reach. Consider tables or higher up, in your trees!
Do NOT leave pumpkins in forests. I know I’ve just
mentioned leaving leftover pumpkin in trees, but these trees must be on your
property. I’ve already seen multiple posts this year about people taking their
leftover pumpkins to local woods, which is technically fly-tipping and can alter soil nutrients and harm the environment.
Add nutrients to your soil
As with all uncooked food waste, you can remove the seeds
and add the chopped-up pumpkin flesh to the compost heap. You can also bury chunks of pumpkin flesh in the garden for worms and insects to enjoy, which
will recycle its nutrients directly into the soil. Just ensure you bury it deep
enough so that a hedgehog won’t forage it out!
Grow pumpkins
Dry out the seeds and save them for planting next year! Sow late May, or early June, when the soil warms up.
Eat the pumpkin yourself
Soups and stews are very easy recipes for using up leftover
pumpkin flesh. Check out BBC Good Food for 50 pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin seeds have a lot of nutritional value. Simply boil the clean seeds for 5-10 minutes in salted water, then drain on a kitchen towel. Toss the drained seeds with a little oil and some seasoning and then roast the seeds at 180C/gas 4 for about 8-10 minutes.
Whatever you decide to do with your leftover pumpkin this year, I simply urge you to be kind and considerate of our environment and wildlife. We are just one tiny part of a vast ecosystem, and we're lucky enough to have the ability to think. And with the ability to think comes great responsibility!
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