What To Do With Your Old Halloween Pumpkins

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Halloween is over, and more than a billion pounds of pumpkins are sold each year in October. So, after the holiday has passed, what are people supposed to do with their pumpkins?

There are ways to discard and re-use those pumpkins, rather than just tossing them into the trash can. Here are five ways you can re-purpose that jack-o-lantern on your front porch:

Eat the seeds. There are several recipes available for roasting pumpkin seeds, and they have become a popular snack just as sunflower seeds have been for ages.

Leave them out for local wildlife. Instead of letting it go to waste, set your pumpkin out for the wildlife in your ecosystem to enjoy. Just make sure you cut the squash into bite-sized pieces and don't scatter them too close to your house if you want to avoid attracting hungry animals to your garden.

Compost them in your garden. Even if you don't have a dedicated compost pile, you can still dispose of old pumpkins naturally in your home garden. Just dig out space in the soil, add the pumpkin (either whole or chopped into piece to expedite decomposition), and bury it. Remove any extra seeds clinging to the inside before sticking it in the ground, unless you want pumpkins to start growing in your garden.

Make a meal out of it. If pumpkins are still in good shape without any signs of mold, you can find hundreds of pumpkin recipes — from pies and soups to purees and casseroles — for a variety of meals.

Make a beauty mask. Seriously. Pumpkin contains beta-carotene; zinc; potassium; vitamins A, C, and E; and antioxidants. According to BeautyLish, a pumpkin face mask can be made by combining pumpkin puree, honey and milk in a small bowl. Apply to your face and leave on for 20 minutes to help your complexion.