The front of my house is overrun with pumpkins right now. Picking pumpkins is fun, as is decorating with them. And carving them. I know all this fun is going to come to an abrupt end next week so I am already planning ahead for what I can do with them when the festivities are over.
If You’ve Carved Your Pumpkin, Here Are Some Dos and Don’ts For After Halloween
Do
- Compost it to make fertilizer
- Bury it in your garden
- Wash, dry and save the seeds to plant next year
- Wash and roast the seeds – yum!
- Throw it away
Don’t
- Put it inside
- Store it for next year
- Try to eat or cook with it
If You Haven’t Carved Your Pumpkin Here Are Some Things To Do With It After Halloween

photo credit: SanFranAnnie
I have never baked or cooked with a real pumpkin before but I am excited to try this year. Let me know if you have other ideas for me to try out!










Last year we made pumpkin whoopie pies (cream cheese filling sandwiched between cakey pumpkin cookies) with our cheese pumpkins. They were SO GOOD. Last week I picked up two new cheese pumpkins at the farmer’s market, and it is hard work keeping my husband’s hands off it until after Halloween! He’s been waiting all year for those whoopie pies!
robins last blog post..I’m a Model, You Know What I Mean?
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My wife makes a great pumpkin soup but she uses a different type of pumpkin. If you go to the pumpkin farm, pick up the brighter orange non-carving variety. I think it has a better flavor.
Deans last blog post..When and Why Should You Drain the Pool?
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I made pumpkin puree out of our pumpkins last year. It was the first time I had done it and not too terribly difficult. I made some cookies and froze the rest of the puree. I pulled some of it out a week ago to make cookies.
Alison @ This Wasn’t In The Plans last blog post..Allowance Update
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I miss mischief night, when kids would run around in the middle of the night and smash pumpkins in the street. Seems that no one outside of the northeast has ever even heard of it, so I guess I need to start smashing my own pumpkins!
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I’ve tried several ways of preparing jack-o-lantern pumpkins for eating. None of them were very palatable, though eating the seeds was fine. I’m convinced now that there are jack-o-lantern pumpkins, and there are eating pumpkins, and never the twain shall meet. So I grew some sugar pumpkins this year and have been enjoying eating those. I might try the French cooking pumpkins next year, the ones that look like something out of Cinderella.
Kate@Living the Frugal Lifes last blog post..Confession Time: What We Save For
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@robin, oh my those sound soooo yummy! I think I’ll try making puree per @alison and make cookies with it!
@Kate – I love eating the seeds so no matter what kind of pumpkin it is, I am glad I can do that. I have some pumpkins supposedly growing in my garden. Maybe I should talk to you for some advice on actually getting them to grow!
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