Halloween has come and gone and now you might be wondering what to do with your pumpkins. Many people simply throw them away but when pumpkins end up in landfills, they produce methane and carbon dioxide, potent greenhouse gases.

So here are some eco-friendly ways to dispose of them instead:

1. Eat them!

Waltham Butternut Squash is actually the squash that is used to make the canned puree you buy in the stores, but that doesn’t mean your porch pumpkins can’t be used to make delicious soups, pasta sauces, and breads.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut your pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds, remove the skin, and cut the flesh into 1–2-inch cubes. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and roast for 40–45 minutes, tossing halfway through. Once tender, blend or process until smooth, then strain through cheesecloth overnight to remove excess water—this makes a rich, homemade pumpkin puree.

For the seeds, rinse them in cold water to remove pulp, then boil in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry, toss with oil and salt, and roast at 350°F for 10–25 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden and crisp.

2. Compost them!

Pumpkins break down easily in the compost pile and are full of great nutrients for your veggies that you will be planting in the Spring. Make sure to remove the seeds before adding them so you don’t end up with pumpkins popping up everywhere in your garden and chop them up to speed up the breakdown process.

3. Donate them!

There are several pumpkin donation programs around LA that make disposal easy. LA Compost hosts countywide “Pumpkin Smash” events to collect and compost pumpkins, and local animal rescues or zoos often accept them as enrichment or food for the animals.

Article and Photo by: UC Master Gardener Jake S.