Pumpkin carving is one of the most popular Halloween traditions in the world. However, as a result of letting the pumpkins rot, people miss out on a surplus of possibilities that include baking, cooking, or growing the leftover seeds.
“I think the pumpkin carving is really wasteful, because every year, hundreds of thousands of pumpkins are just wasted after. Last year, we tried to grow the pumpkin seeds and little sprouts grew, but they ended up dying,” said Cara Li (27).
Cooking with pumpkins can seem very strenuous and a lot of work to prepare in the eyes of any cook. With or without experience, pumpkins go to waste during this spooky holiday. Instead, AV Culinary Skills teacher Steven Dady has an easy trick to cook the guts of a pumpkin.
“You can roast them with salt and pepper and a little bit of olive oil in the oven; it’s also really delicious to sprinkle with tajin or chili powder to have a little bit of a bite,” said Mr. Dady.
To grow more successful pumpkins next year, it’s also crucial to let them dry after washing.
“Other than that, pumpkin seeds are seeds. So, if you lay them out flat on a paper towel and let them dry out for approximately fourteen to twenty days, then you can have a new crop of pumpkins the next year,” said Dady.
There are many different methods of reusing pumpkin seeds that include ways of cooking them which differ based on personal preference. Eating the pumpkin seeds would also reduce waste and taste good, like sunflower seeds.
“In general, I feel like pumpkin is kind of a hard food to prepare but I think I would probably dehydrate the seeds to eat them,” said Kaitlyn Rim (‘27).
