What To Do with Pumpkins After Halloween?

Halloween is over so what do you do with your left over Jack-o-lanterns or pumpkins? Quite a lot of things. You can do what our family did in 2011 and host a pumpkin smash-a-thon. We invited friend over, spread a tarp, and beat the snot out of ours! It was fun, but let me tell you it's not as easy as you think. I suppose you could rig up a giant slingshot like they did in that “Modern Family” episode. Not sure you could use a school's football field or where you'd get the huge slingshot – more power to you if you do!

We found some good post-Halloween ideas in: “10 Ways to Recycle Your Pumpkins After Halloween“.

Collect the seeds, put them on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake in the oven.

Use them as table decoration for Thanksgiving. I often do this along with a pretty table runner. I typically purchase table runners from Homegoods, although I’ve picked up a couple of nice ones from thrift shops.

How about making puree to use in various recipes? Here's a how to video to make your own homemade puree from the Clean and Delicious blog.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner from Halloween and that means pumpkin pie. Instead of buying the canned stuff at the store, whip up some homemade puree.

Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the guts and seeds.

Place the two halves of the pumpkin face side down on a sheet tray. Add a cup of water and to the tray and bake for 90 minutes.

Scoop out the inside of the cooked pumpkin and puree in a food processor. Voila!

Build a cocktail. Check out our recent post about this yummy one:
“VODKA, CRANBERRIES, CIDER, AND THYME – OH MY”

Pumpkin White Russian Cocktail

Last but not least, compost them. A friend of mine, Hope, always tossed hers in their pile after she harvested the seeds for snacks. Hopefully, you'll find something fun and useful to do with your pumpkins. Fall is our most favorite time of year and pumpkins are a huge part of it so we love these ideas.