The season of fall is upon us and with it comes a favourite autumn drink—the pumpkin spice latte.
To help you enjoy all that the season has to offer, the staff at EarthCare Sudbury have put together some great suggestions for how to make the best use of your pumpkins this fall, including tasty food and drink recipes, composting tips and important information about leaf and yard waste.
Healthy recipes
Whether you’ve grown pumpkins in your own backyard, picked one up from a local farm, or joined a community garden, you’ll probably need some good recipes to make the most of your haul.
Foodland Ontario offers these helpful tips on buying, storing and preparing pumpkins, as well as a number of fantastic recipes you can try. This recipe for oat and pumpkin no-bake bites from Canada’s Food Guide is simple to create and is made from several healthy ingredients.
Local fall fun
You don’t need to travel far to enjoy the best that fall has to offer. Create some memories with the family by celebrating Halloween at Dynamic Earth with Pumpkinferno. There will be several exciting activities including scary story time, a spooktacular science show, meet-and-greets with an owl, a falcon and a hawk, a critter show and more.
Hoping to visit a pumpkin patch? These options in northwest Ontario, as well as Leisure Farms in Sturgeon Falls, offer fall fun that includes corn mazes, hayrides, pony rides, petting zoos, haunted houses, bonfires and recipe contests.
Donate your seeds
If you had a beautiful pumpkin this year, did you know that it can contribute to next year’s crop? Donate your pumpkin seeds to the Greater Sudbury Seed Library so others can grow some next year.
Simply scoop out and rinse the seeds and lay them out to dry for a few weeks. Once dry, remove the flat seeds that are not viable, and save or donate the plump ones to grow! Label the type or variety of your pumpkin seeds and store them in a cool, dry place.
Compost your pumpkins and crab apples
Did you know that unused pumpkins and crab apples should be composted? You might be surprised to learn how much of a difference you can make just by being mindful of the waste you create.
Place these items in a certified compostable bag, either in your green cart or beside it. Broken pumpkins must be placed in certified compostable bags inside your green cart, but intact pumpkins can be placed on the ground beside the cart.
For more information, download the Waste Wise App or use this online tool.
Compost your coffee cups
Although pumpkin spice lattes taste best in a reusable travel mug, if you use a takeaway cup, be sure to dispose of it properly. Once you’ve enjoyed your favourite hot beverage, compost any compostable paper coffee cups and recycle the plastic lid.
If you need a refresher on what goes in your green cart, consult this helpful info sheet.
Leaf and yard waste
There is great news for those who don’t love raking leaves—leaving them on the ground is great for your soil, according to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Allowing leaves to naturally decompose returns essential nutrients to your lawn, contributes to biodiversity and creates habitats for insects and pollinators.
Yard waste such as twigs, branches, grass and garden clippings can be placed in paper compostable bags for pick up on your regular waste collection day. The paper bags don’t create any additional waste as they decompose alongside the plant material.
A backyard composter is another way to decompose leaf and yard trimmings and fruit and vegetable waste. Composting allows you to reduce your waste by up to 30 per cent and the compost you create can nourish your lawn and plants, eliminating the need for fertilizer. These EarthCare Minutes provide a wealth of additional information.
Learn more about the City of Greater Sudbury’s composting guidelines and its commitment to helping the community achieve its net-zero goal by 2050.
If you have a project you’d like the City to highlight, contact Jennifer Babin-Fenske at [email protected].