This Halloween we’ve teamed up with our community partner, Ruth Marley of the Re-Imagine Resource Centre, to bring you some fabulously spooky, planet-friendly ideas.
Did you know that every Halloween in the UK more than 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are put straight into the bin? That’s the same weight as 1,500 double decker buses!
If your pumpkin has been carved and it’s starting to rot, composting it is a much better option than sending it to landfill. Pumpkins are good additions to a compost pile because they are 90% water, which means they breakdown very quickly.
Make the most of any pumpkins you don’t carve by turning them into a batch of Ruth’s famous soup…
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 1 Leek (chopped)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
• 1 tsp Ginger (minced or finely chopped)
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 9 cups (2.2lb/1kg) Pumpkin (peeled and cubed)
• 1 14oz (400ml) Can Coconut Cream
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) Vegetable Stock/Broth
• Salt
• Pepper
- Add coconut oil to a large pan with the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and sauté.
- Add the thyme and cayenne pepper and sauté until the onions are softened.
- Add in the coconut cream, vegetable stock and the pumpkin and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is soft and cooked (about 10 minutes).
- Now blend your soup until it is smooth. A stick blender works well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste (optional).
- Serve with some pumpkin seeds as garnish (optional)
To toast your pumpkin seeds
Pop them on a baking sheet, spread them out then season and toast them at 150 degrees/ gas mark 4 for about half an hour.
For more information on the Re-imagine Resource Centre, click here.
