Pumpkin flesh, of course. Halloween pumpkins contribute to the problem of food waste and this is a concern to the EatBy App developers and campaigners, husband and wife, Steffan and Barbara Lewis. In their blog article they highlight the problems of food waste and the large number of pumpkins that are wasted to create those familiar pumpkin heads.
In the UK alone 10 million pumpkins were sold last year at Halloween and only 5% were used for cooking. That amounts to 18,000 tons of food waste. In the US it amounts to over half a million tons!
EatBy App’s solution? Seasonal pumpkin recipes. It seems obvious but cooking the flesh of the pumpkins used to carve the Jack O’ Lanterns means millions of pumpkins are put to better use.
Eat flesh for Halloween!
So rather than wasting the flesh of the scooped out pumpkin it’s a better idea to use it in a traditional Halloween recipe. Pumpkin pie is a popular choice and pumpkin soup is an ideal way to warm up after an evening of trick or treating.
Here’s our favourite recipe for a delicious pumpkin soup…
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- 2 onions
- 2 Chopped garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Your chopped pumpkin flesh
- 2 chopped carrots
- 150 grams of split red lentils
- 1 litre of vegetable stock
- A pinch of salt, pepper and sugar to taste
- 50 grams of cream or crème fraiche
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan or cauldron and add the onions, garlic and fry until soft.
2. Add the pumpkin, carrots and lentils and pour in the hot stock.
3. Season to taste.
4. Cover and simmer for around half an hour or until the lentils and vegetables are soft.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Blend, add cream or crème fraiche and blend again.
7. Leave some cream over and allow the kids to make a scary face on the soup.
8. Serve with crusty bread.
Some Halloween Pumpkin Facts:
The heaviest pumpkin weighs 1,054 kg (2,323 lb), was grown by Beni Meier in Switzerland in October 2014.
The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was at New Bremen Pumpkinfest in New Bremen, Ohio, USA, on 25 September 2010 measured 6m diameter and weighed 1,678 kg (3,699 lb).
Pumpkins are in the same family as cucumbers, melons and zucchini.
Pumpkins were first discovered by French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1584 while exploring the St. Lawrence region of North America. He called them "gros melons" which translated into English to "pompions," which evolved into "pumpkin."
Pumpkins are high in fiber and low in calories, fat and sodium. They’re an excellent source of Vitamins A and B, potassium, protein, and iron.
Pumpkin seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins next year. They should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June to be ready for October.
The EatBy App is designed to reduce food waste. For more information about the app visit www.eatbyapp.com
