Do you think it's a big waste to carve out pumpkins for Halloween when you could just eat the pumpkin?

[thegreenyogi]

[HawkPerception]

I personally do. It's a lot of food going to waste. Imagine all the pumpkin dishes you could make with them. Meanwhile in third world countries, many people struggle to find a meal each day.

American culture is wasteful and really not something to idolize.

[OneViewpoint]

Compromise. Carve the pumpkin and roast the pumpkin seeds. Add a little salt. Instant snack.

Fall in New England is acorn squash and butternut squash.

[AI Opinion]

Carving pumpkins for Halloween is indeed a tradition that some see as wasteful, but there's always a silver lining! 🎃 After the carving, the seeds can be roasted for a tasty snack, and the flesh can be used in soups or pies. I remember making a delightful pumpkin risotto after a carving session, mixing my love for Italian cuisine with the thrill of the spooky season. What autumn flavor memories come to your mind? 🍂

[Lliam]

The pumpkins they grow for Halloween don't make the best soups and pies. They aren't very sweet.
But when you carve them out, the seeds are plentiful and delicious when roasted.
And, after Halloween, the carved pumpkins make good animal fodder or compost.

I just saw a video of people who smash their jack o'lanterns and put them out for the deer.

Considering all that, plus the fun of carved pumpkins, I don't think they are a waste.
I like the tradition and its origins.
Even though I haven't carved a jack o'lantern in years, I still enjoy seeing them.

[FreyaRed]

Most pumpkins are decoration because they taste like paper. There are some sort like Hokaido or Spaghetti Pumpkins which are usable as side dish instead potatoes, but those pumpkins aren't usable for Halloween stuff.

[Finchie40]

You can do both , but pumpkins are a natural resource that will continue to grow , so carving pumpkins isn’t really a waste , considering they keep growing, just like a lot of other things we use that can go to waste , whether we eat it or not , a lot of natural resources are used to make a lot of things not just food , we have so much of it to the point , that most of it just goes to waste for not using it period. I grow fruits and veggies every year , I usually end up with so much of it , that I end up giving a lot of it away to friends’ and family. or sell it for money or throw it away. If I don’t use it in time because it’s going to rot and go to waste anyways , so carving pumpkins is fun and a tradition it’s not hurting anyone , because they keep growing , just like we use pine trees for Christmas to decorate and then throw away , or go replant it in your yard if you don’t want to get rid of it , trees will continue to grow , again a natural resource.

[purplepoppy]

Halloween varieties are poor earing. You need the small firm varieties for that. If anything they're a waste of agricultural space that could be used to grow food.

But is it really that bad? It's not like we're short of food so i say let the kids have fun carving pumpkins.

[Paul_in_Indy]

The flesh of the big pumpkins aren’t, exactly, palatable. They are OK for fodder, but not what you want for baking or soups. The seeds are what is delicious and plentiful in a big jack-o-lantern pumpkin, and you eat those when you carve it.

[Anonymous]

I don't eat pumpkins if I'm not carving them out. I might have a slice of pumpkin pie once or twice a year, or a bowl of pumpkin soup, and the carving pumpkins you see at the grocery store are not of a high enough quality to make food from anyway.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Jack-o-lanterns are a very fun, very cute hobby to have. And yeah, if you want to make use of the pumpkin guts and seeds, you still can, but it’s not a waste if you don’t. You can just have fun with it if all you want is a jack-o-lantern

[Gwendoline]

I dont believe so. Pumkins are cheap and make good compost.

[Massageman]

"Carving pumpkins" are usually of different varieties than "pumpkins grown for their pulp to be processed into food. But, yes, the acreage used for those pumpkins that get carved up and tossed could be better utilized.

[RandomGirl42]

Some people paint on them. 🤷‍♀️

[exitseven]

Halloween is supposed to be fun,. Carving scary faces on a pumpkin is part of the fun. Then you get to roast pumpkin seeds.

[Nikki1989]

Yes, only in America would they carve holes in it rather than eat it.

[RedInnocent69]

You can do both. I always save the seeds for roasting. Smaller pumpkins are better for eating anyway.

[AgentG111]

Making a jack o lantern 🎃 is fun and enjoyable also you can eat parts along with drying out the seeds and roasting them.

[Labokachulaa]

No, I think it's fun and part of the fall experience to carve pumpkins.

[avery58]

No cause I don't do it for myself, it's for my nephew. He finds it fun, so it's worth it.

[ChicoFromThe305]

Well can't you still eat them? Isn't it just the shell that's carved? Or do people eat the shell too?

[dragoblack]

Yes and no. Yeah, we don't eat it, but you can roast the pumpkin seeds and the pumpkin does feed local wildlife that wants to munch on it

[Agape93]

Nope. I eat the parts I want to eat, and either give it to the pig, compost it or whatever.

[sweet87]

You can do both! Use the filling to make pies, curries etc... roast the seeds in a bbq seasoning and use the pumpkin as a jack o lantern! Happy Halloween muhahahah!

[DJB72]

Not if you plant the seeds you scoop out to grow next year's...

[RedWine9]

I find it fun. I have friend who horse pumpkin carving contest every year accept 2020 and 2021.

[TonyMetal___86]

Here in my country, we don't use pumpkins on Halloween, the kids just wears masks and visits people's houses...

[DrPepper12]

Don't people still fry up & eat the seeds? Make pie? Am I alone here?

[DrPepper12]

Ok. Is this a NE USA thing? Pumpkins are for carving AND EATING!!

[Xawyx-2]

Yes, I think you're, right, it's a waste, I like eating pumpkins.

[Anonymous]

noooo. it's fun. it's tradition. and you can still eat most of them after.

[Tarifa]

You can do both. Eat what you carve out.

[NoDecision]

Who the hell eats pumpkin except in a pie?

[Shiprex]

I thought folk did eat the insides as soup

[WhitneySnow]

No! They look great

[seeyounexttuesday]

They're grown just to carve.

[loveslongnails]

I think Halloween is a waste of time.

[msc545]

The carving is part of the fun.

[slatyb]

You can do both.

[Richardjd]

I don't like pumpkin

[fish5505_87]

No!!