The end of the month is fast approaching, and with it the fun of carving pumpkins. I love to pick pumpkins in varying sizes to create a family of pumpkin heads – choosing the biggest available is always fun!

But before you begin scooping out all the innards, have you thought about how you’ll use the delicious pumpkin flesh? It’s all too easy to get caught up in pumpkin carving as a craft activity and forget that you’re in fact dealing with a delicious fruit (yes, pumpkins are technically fruits). In addition, the pumpkin is a very nutritious food, packed full of beta carotene and also containing dietary fibre, potassium, and vitamins C and E. So before you throw away all the nutritious and tasty flesh, take a look at these ideas for using it up:

• Roast in good-quality olive oil with sprigs of rosemary.
• Add puree to cakes and scones.
• Make soup – if you’re feeling creative, serve the soup in a pumpkin shell (not a carved one though; that would be messy!).
• Make a pumpkin pie.
• Add chunks to a pasta dish (roasted tastes best).
• Grill slices coated in olive oil, paprika and crushed garlic.
• Add to risotto.

If you have any pumpkins left over, open at the top, scoop out the very middle in which lie the seeds and then stuff with breadcrumbs or rice, feta cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and sliced sausage, and then wrap in foil, stand in a baking tray containing a little water, and bake.

See also this helpful article that offers 41 recipes for pumpkin: http://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/recipes/pumpkin-recipes/. Pumpkin macaroni cheese, even! I find myself rather drawn to the recipe for Chocolate-Glazed Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake…

In addition, if you have any flesh remaining, you can use it in your beauty regime. With its high concentration of vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc, pumpkin flesh is good for your skin. Add pureed pumpkin (cooked) to a little honey and milk and apply as a face mask. Resist the temptation to lick!