Pumpkin Patch Cake

October 31, 2021

Pumpkin Patch Cake

To celebrate Halloween, I made a simple pumpkin patch-themed cake. I went to a pumpkin patch this weekend and used the picture as an inspiration for the pumpkins on the cake! To make the pumpkins, I wrapped orange and white fondant around store-bought chocolates. Then, I used a toothpick to create the indents on the side and inserted a clove at the top to resemble its stem. Lastly, I used green-colored fondant and wrapped it around a toothpick to create curly vines. Once the green fondant had dried, I was able to place them around the pumpkins on the cake!

When I was making this cake, it made me wonder: What happens to all those pumpkins used for Halloween?

Shockingly, an estimated 1.3 billion of the 2 billion pumpkins grown in the US each year end up trashed in a landfill. When these scraps decompose in a landfill, they do so without oxygen and release methane instead, one of the greenhouse gases contributing to climate change.

How can we avoid Halloween pumpkin waste?

One way is to either find a local collection center or zoo that will properly dispose of your used pumpkins. Many zoos accept these donations as they provide nutritional value that many of their animals need. You can also compost your pumpkins, especially if they have mold as it can be potentially harmful to animals. Additionally, you should clear out all the pumpkin seeds before composting to avoid germination and growing more pumpkins inside. If you don’t have a compost bin, you could let it decompose naturally. If the pumpkin is uncarved, clean out the insides which you can use for cooking, or put the seeds into a bird feeder after drying them for birds to enjoy. Remove any decorations from the pumpkin such as candles. Smash your carved pumpkin and let it rest somewhere in your backyard, ideally with sun. Lastly, cover your pumpkin with a coat of leaves or soil and nature will do the rest. The pumpkins will enrich the soil and nourish any other plants nearby once they have broken down.