I remove the seeds to add to bird suet, then throw them in the field.

We have a wild, wooded area behind our back yard … we toss them back there after breaking them up a bit. The local wildlife eats what they want, the rest goes back into the earth. I have a lot, as we do a big wagon display, plus other groupings.

I do save the six I use as pumpkin topiaries on either side of the front door — those are painted and decked out to look like snowmen when Christmas decor comes out.

Throw them in our garden area

^Similar since we have an open field area close by where we've taken them. Some pumpkins will last much longer than people think. I have a hard time getting rid of the nicer ones if they're still in good shape. I had some I bought in Sept. of last year that hung on for this year.

These 3 "sparkler" pumpkins in front lasted for two Fall seasons.

We have deer.

My community has a pumpkin smash event scheduled for Saturday at the local nature center. People can smash their pumpkins or just take them in for composting. Last year, the organization SCARCE (Illinois nonprofit) composted over 150 tons of  pumpkins!

My community has a pumpkin smash event scheduled for Saturday at the local nature center. People can smash their pumpkins or just take them in for composting. Last year, the organization SCARCE (Illinois nonprofit) composted over 150 tons of  pumpkins!

Chickens and peahen seem to love them! Everything here goes to them or gets composted.

In Toronto the city picks them up as either green bin food waste or yard waste. Either way it is composted by the city. I wouldn't want to leave them outside to be eaten by squirrels or rats. We have enough of that "wildlife" already.

I eat them.

Cut in half, spread a little cooking oil on the cut face, then place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until soft and the edges are slightly caramelized. The skin will peel off easily and the seeds will be much easier to scoop out - and can be further toasted for eating too. I freeze the meat in freezer bags, in portions sized to use as a side vegetable, in soups and stews, or in any traditional sweet preparation like pie or bread.. Especially good if you like spicy food, pumpkin goes well with lots of savory spicing, not just sweet.

We have a neighbor who collects them for her friend's livestock.

Any that have been carved or half eaten by deer can go into the compost pile or yard waste pickup. It is only the painted ones that must be trashed.

If you live within driving distance of The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, TN, they love getting pumpkins for their elephants. If you watch some of their videos, you can see the elephants snacking on them.

www.elephants.com

When I was a child I used to take the seeds from everything, pumpkins and all sorts of melons and when the seeds were still soft I pierced them with a needle and then I let the seeds dry out.

Then when they were all dry, I made necklaces by threading the seeds.

I guess children are just too sophisticated these days!

I don't do a thing......they just sit on my steps and eventually disappear. Squirrels mostly

Great ideas for country folk, what about city dwellers? Is there a zoo near by..our news channel love to show the animals getting their yearly pumpkin treats? I always think of the landfills FULL UP with non perishable junk...why isn't it a good think to have some things that readily go back to the earth mixed in???

Arcy, it is because the perishable things don't perish readily, or at all, in a landfill, and while sitting there, they do take up room that contributes to the landfill filling up eventually and needing to be expanded or re-sited to a new location - which might be otherwise arable or environmentally useful (watershed, wetland, wooded) land. That is why so many city waste operations operate separate yard waste pickups and ask people not to dispose of such things in the trash (plus recycling, properly disposing of electronics & batteries & other toxic waste, etc) - to keep as much as possible out of the dump.

Zoo is a good idea. My neighbor takes the pumpkins she collects to her friend's farm outside the city.

To be honest, I've generally just thrown them away. Which usually entails me trying to scoop up the half dissolved rotten mess into a garbage bag without dropping it everywhere.

Last year a lady in my area picked up a bunch and took them out to a pig farm.

We never got around to carving ours this year so I guess they will sit outside until Thanksgiving and then I'll figure it out.

Same as Lindac92. Squirrels eat them.

yard waste bin! unless it was painted.

Put in the compost bin or just allow to decompose in place in the garden. Or dig a hole and bury. Join the Next Door app for your neighborhood ask if anyone wants them.

I cut them up scoop out the meat and seeds . Make pumkin soup and freeze the rest for soup in the winter . The shells go in the compost and BTW if you have a landfill that composts then good for you. Our land fill will begin that program next year. BTW I live in town but still have agarden and compost . If I am feeling energetic I clean and roast the seeds but usually not. I happen to love squirrels and so sometimes purposely leave stuff for them .

Compost

Animals love them. Especially elephants and hippos

For us, it's a combination of uses. When first freeze isn't until November, the fruit flies viciously attack the carved pumpkins, even while the candle is lit. We had 2 that didn't last a week, had to be moved to our natural area before Halloween.

Granddaughter paints some with water based craft paints, but she never covers the whole pumpkin. Those get cooked, usually near Thanksgiving.

Hadn't thought of repainting for Christmas, we may try that with a couple of small ones this year.

The innards get tosssed on the compost pile. I tried setting the seedy mess out in a pan near the bird feeder one year, but no takers. I guess the birds that can eat the large seeds migrate away from us for the winter. Daughter roasts the better looking seeds, but many we buy have immature seeds, lousy for snacking.

Take them to a goat farm.

Chickens and pigs live them.

I used to spray paint mine gold for Christmas

"Animals love them. Especially elephants and hippos"

Sure do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOWBwFqltYA

I make pumpkin puree out of a few (some varieties are better than others for this) and list the others for free on Facebook marketplace. They are quickly taken by those who want to use them for cooking or canning and/or to harvest the seeds to grow in the Spring.

I microwave chucks of pumpkin in a dish with 1/2" of water then process it to a consistency to allow it to flow through my jerky tube and make a variety of pumpkin treats for my dog!

Eat and share as much as we can. Take the ones left over or starting to go over into the forest and smash it with a hammer so that the inside is accessible to the wild animals. The seeds act as a natural dewormer. We have put pumpkins into the compost before now and have ended up with massive pumpkin plants covering our compost.

We cut up our pumpkins & take them to the nearby woods. The deer love them! Important note is make sure they are at least quartered.

I put my carved pumpkin out at the edge of my backyard for the squirrels. They prefer that it is cut up in chunks but will also munch away at the large body of the pumpkin. I put the seeds out on the ground for them when I carve it and the seeds are all gone in a few hours. Whatever they don't eat just breaks down quickly into the soil.

In Ontario, municipalities collect compostable kitchen and yard waste each week so pumpkins should never be in the garbage.

If I leave them out until post-Thanksgiving, they have generally gotten past what I would use for us to eat. Leaving them out for the deer in the neighborhood helps them stay away from my bushes. ;-)

Seeds et al onto the compsot pile. A working compsot pile and turning it keeos the seeds from becoming a pumpkin patch.

Nothing goes to waste at my house. If the chickens, turkeys, ducks, goats or horses won't eat it, it goes in the compost and then the squirrels and the deer pick through that.

Someone posted upthread that reminded me that my DD's dog absolutely adores pumpkin! I would give him some of the cooked rind, as well as some of the meat. He tolerated it well - I think the rind helped his digestion.

Roast slabs in oven then bake - pumpkin loaf, bread, muffins, cookies and/or cook soup

Over a BILLION pounds of pumpkins are sent to landfills every year in the US. Wasted energy and time hauling and landfill space. Compost them, break them up and bury them or at least throw them into a wooded area (not near a road) to decompose naturally.

Based on the comments thus far, I think you're preaching to the choir.

Without any sarcasm, I think we all agree to keep them out of the landfill.

"Animals love them. Especially elephants and hippos"

lol. yes, let me just go out in the backyard and feed them as they graze nearby! If I lived in Zimbabwe, perfect advice!

Driving to the zoo is not practical. outside of that, i've never seen a hippo. or an elephant for that matter.

Plenty of raccoons, opossums, squirrels, coyotes, rats and mice though. I'd toss them into the hills that surround the area. Good for mulch too.

can't eat them, becuase if they've sat out for a few days, they've gone bad. find for animals, not for humans.

Throw them in the woods around our house.

I feed them to our pot bellied pigs! They love them

One year I dug them right into the perennial garden. The next year I was surprised, but shouldn't have been, that I had pumpkins growing!

I like to throw them into the back woods, or take them to our community compost center, but also the local residential farm takes them. (they also take Christmas trees; the camel loves them!)

We feed them to my son’s girlfriend’s pet pig…as long as they aren’t too far gone. I believe they’ve also been used for target and “Galhiger” (the watermelon smashing comedian) smashing practice