'Don't be afraid' to recycle your pumpkin this Halloween

With Halloween soon upon us Warwickshire residents are again being challenged to avoid sending their pumpkin remains to a grisly end buried in landfill.

Every year, one million pumpkins are sold across the country.  The vast majority of these are carved into lanterns for celebrations on 31 October, with their contents being tossed into the bin without a second thought, destined for landfill.

This Halloween, residents are being reminded that as well as using the shells for carving, they can also make use of the insides of the pumpkins to make many delicious recipes such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin tart or even pumpkin lasagne.  Seeds can even be baked for a delicious snack

Any bits of the pumpkin that aren't used can either be placed in your green bin wrapped in newspaper or a compostable liner or added to the home compost bin where it will break down safely and help provide a nitrogen rich ingredient to make compost, which is a nutritious addition to your garden soil.

Warwickshire County Council and Blackwall are continuing to offer compost bins at subsidised prices.  220 litre bins can be purchased for just £5 or the larger 330 litre bins for just £8 (plus £5.49 per delivery). You can also buy a 2^nd bin for half price. Order online by visiting www.wcc.getcomposting.com or call 0844 571 4444 and quote reference WCC03L.

For those feeling like taking on a pumpkin cooking challenge, how about trying out the Roasted Pumpkin and Coriander soup from our Love Food Hate Waste partners.

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin
2 red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon juniper seeds
100g celery, chopped
2 small red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
Large bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
Salt
Black pepper
2 tablespoons of crème fraiche
Pinch of Spanish smoked paprika

METHOD:

Quarter the pumpkin, remove the seeds (don't discard them, they are lovely when roasted and make a great nibble - see www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for a great recipe).

Cut the red peppers in half, remove the seeds and place them with the pumpkin onto a roasting tray. Drizzle the flesh with a little olive oil and place into a pre heated oven set at gas mark 6/200C/400F and roast for about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Scrape the flesh from the skin of the pumpkin and place to one side along with the roasted pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan; add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, juniper seeds, celery and red chillies. Cook for a few minutes until the onions and celery are soft.

Add the pumpkin and red peppers, the stock and finally the chopped coriander. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then process the soup in a blender to make it smooth.

Serve with a spoonful of crème fraiche over the top sprinkled with a little paprika.

Cllr Geoff Clarke, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Waste Management, said: “By minimising food waste like pumpkin remains, residents can divert a huge amount of organic waste from landfill sites.

“Even just by recycling your food waste you are saving Warwickshire tax payers money. It's estimated that if everyone used their green bins for food waste, it would save nearly £2.5 million every year as well as helping to produce good quality soil improver to be used by local farmers."

More information on composting, food waste, recycling, your kerbside recycling containers, or for handy hints and tips on what can and can't be recycled visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/recycling

For further recipe ideas visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

Issued by Warwickshire County Council