– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension
Old pumpkins never go to waste!
Pumpkins are winter squashes with a hard rind that protects their flesh and seeds inside from the elements until a critter is ready to eat it and spread the seeds. The elements are beginning to change, both weather wise and décor wise. The real pumpkins we’ve been using for decorations may not last much longer. If you are ready to swap out your pumpkins for evergreens, don’t throw them in the garbage! They still have value.
If your pumpkins are structurally sound and you have the means and determination, you can wash the rind, slice open the pumpkin, remove the seeds, and cook it! Roasted pumpkin can be used for savory or sweet recipes for meals. If prepared without additional ingredients, it can be used in homemade pet treats. Pumpkin puree can easily be frozen for use at another time. Don’t forget you can roast the seeds too!
If cooking pumpkins isn’t appealing to you, whole pumpkins that are still firm, undecorated, and free of mold can be offered as a snack to domestic livestock and wildlife too. Cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, swine, as well as many woodland creatures, all enjoy pumpkin in moderation. You can provide pumpkins to your own livestock at your discretion. Always get permission from animal owners before offering any food to domestic animals!
If your pumpkins are past their prime and beginning to decompose, they won’t be useful as food, but they can still be useful to create compost! If you have a compost pile started, you can easily incorporate degrading pumpkins into it. Pumpkins pair wonderfully with autumn leaves and grass clippings to create beneficial soil amendments in the next growing season.
Pumpkin seeds can also be saved to plant in the garden. However, remember that pumpkins are insect pollinated and can cross with other plants in the squash family. So, often the seeds of pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, and melons do not produce offspring with consistent traits of their parents. That can be part of the adventure!
For more information about considerations for feeding leftovers to livestock, see the YouTube embedded below entitled Holiday Leftovers for Livestock.
For more information about composting, seed saving, or gardening in general, reach out to your local Ohio State University Extension Office