Emma Halloween is soon here and in the run up to 31st October, some 100,000 pumpkins are set to be purchased in Scotland with a truly frightening two-thirds being chucked away rather than eaten!
Figures from Zero Waste Scotland reveal a massive 340,000kg of pumpkin sold in Scotland in 2014 was wasted – 230,000kg of which could have been consumed. That’s enough to make 460,000 pumpkin lasagnas.
The Love Food Hate Waste campaign, delivered by Zero Waste Scotland, is urging people not to bin their scooped-out pumpkin when making their Halloween lanterns, making the most of this seasonal superfood by following its inspiring pumpkin-based recipes instead.
Love Food Hate Waste has some delicious pumpkin recipe suggestions to try, including
- Pumpkin seed brownies
- Roasted pumpkin lasagne
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Gnocchi in pumpkin and chilli sauce
- Roasted pumpkin and coriander soup
- Pumpkin chutney
All of these recipes are available on www.lovefoodhatewaste.com along with tips on using up apples once apple bobbing is over. Recipes include apple crisps and apple spiced muffins. Zero Waste Scotland is also encouraging members of the public to share their Halloween recipe ideas using the hashtag #PumpkinRescue.
Here is a quick and easy recipe for using your left over pumpkin, this warming and autumnal Thai Pumpkin Soup.
Recipe: Thai Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ kg pumpkin peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 tsp oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 400 ml can coconut milk
- 850 ml vegetable stock
- 1 red chilli sliced
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
- Add pumpkin to a roasting tin with half the oil.
- Roast for 30 mins until golden.
- Add oil to a pan with the onion and ginger.
- Cook until softened.
- Stir in the curry paste for 1 min.
- Add roasted pumpkin.
- Add coconut milk and the stock.
- Bring to a simmer, cook for 5 mins.
- Cool for a few mins, then whizz it smooth in a blender.
- Heat through again in a pot.
- Serve in a bowl garnished with chill
- (Chopped Coriander also tastes delicious!)
