Recycled Pumpkins

How many pumpkins do you think go unused except to decorate our front porch for Halloween? All too often we forget that these special squash can serve other purposes throughout the season.

The obvious first choice for using all the parts of a pumpkin is to take the meat, or the insides that you scoop out when making your jack-o-lantern, and use it in a recipe. Pumpkins are low in fiber and contain potassium, vitamin A, manganese, iron, zinc and beta carotene. This low calorie vegetable can be used to make pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, soup, squash casserole and many other scrumptious and nutritious foods.

Fresh seeds can be roasted for eating as a snack. Following is an easy recipe for this snack. Wash fresh seeds and drain all excess water. Mix seeds into 4 tablespoons of melted butter and add salt to taste. Experiment with other herbs such as garlic, pepper, cinnamon, or cumin. Spread the coated seeds out on a cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees for 10 - 20 minutes.

Seeds can also be dried and saved for planting next season. Carefully wash and clean the seed, removing any meat that might surround it. Spread the seed on a towel to dry. After they have dried, store the seeds in a bag or envelope in a cool, dark location until planting time in June. If the pumpkin you collected seed from was grown around other varieties of pumpkin, then the resulting product that grows from that collected seed may not resemble the original pumpkin but may be a cross of the two varieties that grew side by side.

Pumpkins that are not cut for jack-o-lanterns can be dried and used to make decorations. Pumpkins should be fully colored with a hard rind. Look for those that are shiny and will not allow a fingernail to leave a mark in the rind. Leave them on the vine as long as possible but pick before a frost. Wash them with soap and then with a 5% bleach solution to remove any bacteria. Store them in a cool, well ventilated area. Do not set them on the floor but keep them up so water will not accumulate at the base. You can apply acrylic liquid floor wax to polish up the skin before display. This method of drying does not work 100% of the time. If your pumpkin is kept dry and is not exposed to cold or hot temperatures, you may find that you have a great shell that can be used again and again as a fall decoration.

What about the shell after it has served its purpose as a jack-o-lantern? The shell is still full of nutrition. Put that to use in your landscape. Cut the shell into smaller pieces and add it to your compost pile along with fall leaves and scraps from the kitchen like vegetables and egg shells. Do not add meat, bones or grease to your pile. Pumpkins will decompose easily, adding nutrients and organic matter to your finished compost. You can let the compost pile sit or turn it every month to speed up the composting process. You may need to add water if it dries out or nitrogen to feed the microbes if it doesn't look like it is decomposing. Use this mix anywhere in your landscape in the spring.

Related to that, a pumpkin shell can be used as a planter for fall perennials. Use a scooped out pumpkin shell like a pot. Place your plant inside and add soil. Once the decorative advantage of the pumpkin has ended you can bury both the pumpkin and plant into a landscape bed. The pumpkin will decompose providing nutrients to the soil and the plant.

The Extension office is located in Kennett, Missouri at 101 South Main Street (the old bank) on the 2nd floor. If you have a horticulture question you can call 573-686-8064. The office is open Monday -- Friday.

University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all.

Sarah Denkler is a horticulture specialist

with University of Missouri Extension

in Dunklin County.