Please Don’t Dump That Pumpkin!

28 October, 2024

Article by:
Charles Smith Jones, Technical Adviser, British Deer Society

Please don’t dump that pumpkin!

Although leaving unwanted pumpkins out for wildlife to eat once Hallowe’en is over may appear eco-friendly and is regularly recommended on social media, it can actually do more harm than good.

Pumpkins are not a natural food source for most wildlife. Although some animals may enjoy eating them, they could make others unwell, cause digestive problems, or even help to spread disease. Decorated pumpkins may also hold other indigestible items such as candles or plastic decorations which add an additional hazard to any animal that swallows them. They may also attract unwelcome vermin. As they take a long time to break down, discarded pumpkins can upset delicate woodland ecosystems and have a seriously detrimental effect on plants, fungi and the soil itself.

Hedgehogs can often be particularly badly affected – as Hallowe’en coincides with a time when hedgehogs are gorging themselves as they prepare for hibernation, eating too much pumpkin rather than a more natural diet can cause severe diarrhoea and dehydration. The hedgehog will then enter hibernation in poor condition with potentially lethal results.

Although leaving pumpkins in the woods for wildlife is not recommended, there are plenty of alternative used for them once Hallowe’en is over. Turning them into bird feeders is a simple and fun post-Hallowe’en project for children, or why not try making roasted pumpkin or pumpkin pie, or some hearty and delicious pumpkin soup, from the surplus flesh once a jack-o’-lantern has been scooped out? The seeds can be toasted to make a delicious snack or put out for birds to enjoy, or dried and saved for planting next year.

Unwanted pumpkins might also be welcomed by anyone who keeps chickens (which really seem to enjoy pumpkin flesh), or zoos, farms or animal shelters with domestic or exotic animals whose digestive systems are better suited to processing them. Otherwise simply add them to your compost bin to break down and recycle – cutting a pumpkin up first helps it to do so faster.

Making a pumpkin bird feeder:

Cut off the uncarved portion of your jack-o’-lantern to create a deep dish of pumpkin shell. Smaller pumpkins can be left whole with just the top section removed.
Push two strong sticks through it to create support as well as to provide perches for the birds
Fill with bird seed and either hang from a strong tree branch or place on a bird table.
Don’t forget to keep it clean – once it starts to rot, compost or otherwise dispose of it to avoid harming the birds.

Simple pumpkin soup:

Ingredients:

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
Bay leaf
25g (1oz) butter
2 tbsp olive oil
The flesh of a medium edible pumpkin, deseeded and chopped, prepared weight roughly 800 – 900g (1lb 12oz – 2lb).
1 medium potato (a floury variety like Maris Piper is best)
1 litre (1¾ pint) chicken or vegetable stock
100 ml (3½ fl oz) double cream
Grated nutmeg
2 – 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Salt & pepper

Pumpkins can vary in sweetness and consistency – a large one will have a higher water content and more spongy texture, so be prepared to adjust the quantity of stock used if necessary. You can also use edible squash, such as butternut, but it will have a lower water content.

Cook the carrot, onion, garlic with the butter, half the olive oil and the bay leaf in a large pan over a low to medium heat for around 10 minutes. Then vegetables should be tender but not browned.

Mix in the pumpkin and potato and cook for a further 3 minutes. Pour in the stock, season and bring to the boil. Loosely cover the pan with a lid and continue to simmer gently for about 40 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

Remove the bay leaf and blend with a stick blender.

Add the cream and grated nutmeg, mix and taste. Add a little more stock and seasoning if required and keep warm.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the pumpkin seeds and fry until they show signs of popping. Remove from pan and dry on kitchen paper.

Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with a swirl of cream and the pumpkin seeds, and enjoy!

Why not experiment by adding chopped celery to the vegetables, or roasting the pumpkin with a sprinkling of crushed coriander, chilli seeds and black pepper before adding it to the mix? Or by adding curry powder, ground ginger, cumin or another spice for extra flavour? For an even heartier soup you can even add pasta shapes (the smaller ones work best).

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