Pumpkins - what to do?

[Gems]

I have left it way too late, but toay is the day for attempting to carve my pumpkins.

I hate waste, so, what can I do with all the 'waste'? I'd love to make pumpkin pie, but haven't found any easy recipes.

Any ideas?

[justpeachy92]

Well generally the pumpkins we carve aren't pie pumpkins, so I am not sure if it would work for pie. You can roast the seeds for snacking on.
here is a link to make pumpkin soap, could be used for christmas presents.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ft.html?cat=24

[Ceashels]

Squirrels love pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. What is your waste is their dinner. hehehe. I think you would still be able to use the pumpkin for cooking but might need to add some extra sweetner to it. I will sometimes take the scraping tool and "thin" down the walls of the pumpkin to get more pulp to make puree. If you have chunks you can cut the rind off and roast in an oven till golden. I coat mine with olive oil and some salt or you can go on the sweet side with cinnamon or Chinese Five Spice blend.

[Contrary Housewife]

Field pumpkins, the big ones they sell for carving really do not taste very good. I've tried cooking them in the past and they just do not have any flavor. If you use a candle in it on halloween night all the flesh will taste nasty and smoky anyway, you won't want to eat it. The stringy stuff you scoop out of the middle isn't that edible either. You can save the seeds, there are a lot of websites that tell you how to do it.

Pie pumpkins are smaller, and not that expensive, IMO. To cook it all you have to do is break it up into chunks and bake it or boil it until tender. Then scoop out the flesh and let it cook a few hours on low heat until it is a thick paste. Then you can use it like canned pumpkin. When I have done it I have let it sit on the stove while I do other chores around the house, just checking on it once in a while. You don't have to stand over it.

IMO, canned pumpkin is just as cheap, or cheaper and a whole lot less work. If you want to do something with the leftover jack-o-lantern, compost it for your flowerbed or garden.

[Gems]

Thanks for all your helpful answers. I think, this year, I will just treat the squirrels. Next year I will look into getting some 'pie' pumpkins and treat the family instead.

[ironmaiden]

We bought 6 pumpkins - two for the kids to carve.
The other 4 will become pumpkin-apple soup. It's a thick soup with a swirl of cream at the end.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/re...cipe_id=222593

[PennyWise]

Squirrels love pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. What is your waste is their dinner.

This! We throw the leftovers into the woods...I'm sure the bugs and animals love it!

[McD]

Since squirrells ate Wesley's first pumpkin this year, when we carved his second pumpkin, we tossed the seeds and the filling around the yard for them to snack on.

[tammy8701]

l broke up mine and toss them in the field either the wild turkeys will get them or my big hereford luvly will shes a funny one