After Halloween’s spooktacular enjoyable has ended, you’re most likely questioning what to do with these rigorously carved Jack O’ Lanterns. It’d be a disgrace simply to throw them away! In any case, both you or a farmer labored exhausting to develop them, and they’re nonetheless biodegradable and edible even after they’re minimize with grinning faces. Fortuitously, they don’t need to go to waste! Right here, we’ll offer you eco-friendly and inventive concepts to reuse your Jack O’Lanterns.
You possibly can reuse carved pumpkins in your backyard, kitchen, and craft room. From composting to artwork tasks to enjoyable recipes, let’s dig into 19 methods to make use of Halloween Jack O’ Lanterns after the festivities have handed!
Concepts for Outdated Halloween Jack O’ Lanterns
Amidst all of the sweet wrappers and plastic pales, it’s good to know that the majority conventional Halloween decor (like straw bales, corn mazes, and pumpkins) continues to be pure and biodegradable. So long as you don’t use preservatives, paint them, or dip them in glitter, spent Jack O’ Lanterns have ample secondhand makes use of, so that they don’t need to go to the landfill.
Chop ‘Em Up and Compost
Reuse your Jack O’Lanterns in your compost! Natural matter is any once-living materials that microorganisms can decompose to include into the soil. Jack o’ lanterns match the invoice as long as they’re freed from any artificial decor. Pumpkin skins and flesh are a helpful addition to your compost pile.
Use a knife, axe, or shovel to cut the pumpkin into smaller items. The smaller chunks will velocity up the method and make incorporating the pumpkin with different compost elements like leaf litter or grass clippings simpler.
Keep in mind to maintain your compost pile well-aerated and monitor the temperature. If it doesn’t get scorching sufficient, you will have just a few volunteer pumpkin crops sprout subsequent spring from the pile or the mattress the place you add the compost. Fortuitously, they’re straightforward to take away or let ramble!
Make a Pumpkin Planter
A pumpkin planter is a extremely cute technique to reuse Jack O’Lanterns and enhance for November festivities. You’ve already accomplished step one of hollowing out your pumpkins. This makes them straightforward to fill with soil to carry an ornamental plant. Attempt a clump of chrysanthemums, orchids, succulents, or bulbs like daffodils.
Did your smiley face carvings go away massive holes? Simply line the underside of the pumpkin with a layer of burlap, newspaper, or paper luggage earlier than including the soil. Make sure to select a species-specific soil mix, like peat moss for orchids or a well-drained cactus combine for succulents. Transplant into the pumpkin similar to it’s a pot!
To multiply the performance, use your pumpkin planter for species you intend to transplant outside within the spring. The expired Jack O’ Lantern will act like a biodegradable pot you could plant immediately within the floor.
When the pumpkin begins to melt or sag, you will have two choices. Both plant your complete pumpkin with its flowers into the bottom, permitting your crops to proceed feeding on the decaying squash, or gently transplant your flowers to a brand new container and compost the remaining pumpkin.
Make Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin bread is a vacation traditional you can also make out of your uncarved Halloween decor! Why purchase canned pumpkin puree to bake with when you have already got an abundance of squash to get pleasure from? Making pumpkin puree to make use of in baking is a superb use for pumpkins that you simply painted as an alternative of carved; simply scrub the paint off the pumpkin’s exterior earlier than you bake it.
Set your oven to 350°F. Rigorously minimize your pumpkin in half, then take away the seeds and stringy materials inside. Calmly brush the minimize pumpkin edges with oil, then place it minimize facet down right into a roasting pan or a sheet pan with sides. Add simply sufficient water to return simply barely up the facet of the pumpkin, enabling you to steam and roast concurrently.
Roast for 45-55 minutes or till the pumpkin pores and skin is comfortable and simply pierced with a fork, then enable it to chill earlier than scooping the comfortable flesh out. Mash the flesh into recent pumpkin puree that you should utilize instantly or freeze for later!
Nonetheless, in case you have carved your pumpkin, burned candles inside your Jack O’ Lantern, or can see any seen mildew, avoiding edible makes use of altogether is finest. Equally, keep away from consuming pumpkin flesh that has been handled with a preservative to decelerate decay; utilizing a remedy on the flesh renders it inedible for people, pets, or wildlife.
Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Also referred to as pepitas, pumpkin seeds are among the many most nutritious and scrumptious seeds you may eat out of your backyard! Reuse your Jack O’Lantern to make this healthful deal with. In case you haven’t already scooped out your Jack O’ Lantern seeds, type by means of the stringy flesh and lay the plump seeds on a baking tray.
If desired, drizzle in coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt, then roast at 350°F for 10 to 25 minutes, checking and tossing them commonly till they’re aromatic and golden inexperienced. Alternatively, toss the seeds with tamari (soy sauce) earlier than roasting for a scrumptious umami-flavored snack!
Feed Them to Your Chickens
You possibly can reuse Jack O’Lanterns to feed your chickens. They respect the nutrient-dense starchiness of pumpkin flesh and the wholesome fat of the seeds. In case you toss just a few outdated Jack O’ Lanterns into your hen coop, they may gladly peck away till the squash is emptied.
Nonetheless, if you wish to keep away from random chunks of pumpkin skins rotting on the bottom all winter, it’s finest to cut up the squash in smaller items so it’s manageable for his or her little hen beaks.
Guarantee you’ve eliminated any candles and residual wax earlier than feeding Jack O’Lanterns to your chickens. Additionally, don’t give them pumpkins which were painted or handled to gradual decay.
Create a Pumpkin Birdfeeder
Why purchase birdseed when your discarded squash decor is filled with seeds? If you wish to assist native wildlife as they transition into winter, reuse your Jack O’ Lanterns by placing out seeds, or just set your pumpkins on the border of your backyard close to a birdfeeder or water supply. I favor to entice native birds to my panorama whereas maintaining them away from my vegetable beds, so this creates an important distraction that retains them from my edible backyard!
As with pumpkins you’re giving to your chickens, keep away from feeding your wild birds pumpkins which were handled, painted, or that also have candle wax or particles on them.
Arrange a Pumpkin Chucking Occasion
Put up-Halloween clean-up could be simply as enjoyable as the vacation itself! Invite neighborhood youngsters and buddies to a pumpkin chucking occasion the place they use catapults and slingshots to fling pumpkins out into the space.
The squash will crack open and get eaten by critters or decomposed by microbes over the winter. You possibly can even supply awards for individuals who chuck their Jack O’ Lantern the farthest!
Solely do that in case you have a forested border to your property or a dependable place for pumpkins to go to rot. Keep away from chucking pumpkins into wildlands, public property, or your neighbor’s pristine yard!
Host a Pumpkin Smash
In case you don’t have the area to chuck pumpkins, you may all the time smash them in your yard! Invite your neighbors to convey their outdated Jack O’Lanterns to a chosen space and use hammers, shovels, or boots to interrupt the pumpkins into items.
Afterward, collect the chunks in a wheelbarrow and take them to a compost pile! This satisfying expertise makes your compost preparation simpler, gives a chance for schooling, and brings individuals collectively for communal bonding.
Create Pumpkin Seed Artwork
Jack O’ Lanterns could be reused in enjoyable artwork tasks, too! Get the youngsters concerned by reworking pumpkin seeds right into a inventive autumn show. Collect the seeds, wash them, and dry them off, then use non-toxic glue to connect the seeds to paper or cardboard posters in numerous preparations of mosaics or work.
To take the craft to the following degree, use pure plant dyes like marigolds, turmeric, or beets to paint the seeds for extra elaborate art work.
Donate to Yard Waste Facility, A Native Farm, or the Zoo
Patio and concrete gardeners don’t want to fret— you may ecologically eliminate your Halloween decor even in the event you don’t have area in your property. Most yard waste amenities will gladly take pumpkins to the municipal composting space to decompose alongside grass clippings in Christmas bushes.
Alternatively, an area farm could settle for expired pumpkins to feed to their animals or add to their compost pile. Some zoos even welcome carved pumpkins as toys for his or her resident animals! You probably have many Jack O’ Lanterns that you simply wish to eliminate in an environmentally-conscious method, it by no means hurts to name and ask!
An vital observe: the pumpkins you feed to animals have to be cleared of any residual wax. In case you painted your pumpkins or used any preservatives, like silica or a disinfectant for mildew prevention, the pumpkins are not secure for animal consumption.
Make Pumpkin Canine Treats
Your furry buddies can take part on the autumn spirit with do-it-yourself pumpkin treats. Simply as with making pumpkin bread, the flesh of an uncarved pumpkin can nonetheless be roasted, pureed, and fed to your canines. Pumpkin is secure for canines and loaded with useful fiber and nutritional vitamins.
When my canines get upset stomachs or diarrhea, I typically combine pumpkin into their meals to assist them really feel higher. Scrub any paint off, roast your uncarved pumpkin as described earlier, scoop out the flesh, and blend it into pet food or a canine deal with recipe.
Keep in mind that the one secure Jack O’Lanterns to reuse as animal meals are freed from mildew, wax, paint, and any artificial preservatives.
Make Unimaginable Vermicompost
Do you vermicompost? If not, reusing your Jack O’Lanterns will get you off to an important begin! Crimson wigglers and different compost worms adore the flesh of a carved pumpkin. Whilst you’ll nonetheless wish to guarantee your pumpkin is freed from wax, paint, and preservatives, your pumpkin could be changed into wealthy vermicompost that shall be an unimaginable addition to your backyard beds!
If there’s any paint or wax on the pumpkin, minimize that off. You possibly can minimize the carved pumpkin into chunks, however it’s doable to put it into your worm bin intact in the event you’d like. In case you put it in entire, place it with the carved face downward to offer quick access. The worms will climb inside and feast, turning the remnants of your Halloween festivities into wealthy, darkish worm castings over time.
Save Seeds for Planting
So long as they haven’t been cooked or heated, the seeds of Jack O’ Lanterns are nonetheless viable. Use them for planting in your backyard subsequent season. Scoop them out, lay them on a tray or newspaper, and allow them to dry in a cool, heat place.
As soon as totally dry and free from any indicators of mildew or rot, retailer the seeds in luggage or containers. Then, plant within the spring after the chance of frost has handed. In case your squash was a hybrid or cross-pollinated with neighbors, the seeds may not sprout true-to-type. They may nonetheless develop pleasing and distinctive decor!
Beautify for Harvest Celebrations
If carved pumpkins nonetheless look good after your spooky festivities, it’s straightforward to repurpose them for harvest-season festivities. Cowl the scary faces with dried leaves, flowers, foliage, or berries to create a Cornucopia-like show or tablescape.
Bury Them!
In case you don’t have the time or power to make extra crafts after Halloween, you may all the time bury these pumpkins! So long as you didn’t apply something artificial to the Jack O’ Lanterns, the squash is absolutely biodegradable and will readily break down within the soil over the winter.
Dig a gap, throw them in, and canopy them with soil to keep away from attracting rodents or wild animals. I favor to bury crop residues on my panorama border and canopy them with mulch to plant perennials within the nourished soil sooner or later.
Ultimate Ideas: Don’t Throw Away Your Jack O’ Lanterns!
Halloween-carved pumpkins don’t have any motive to go to the landfill (until they have been painted, handled to decelerate decomposition, or crammed with non-biodegradable supplies). Squash is a superb supply of natural materials for the soil or a snack for people and animals. To make your vacation festivities extra eco-friendly and pure, use your pumpkins to nurture your backyard, feed native wildlife, or fill your abdomen!