You carve your Halloween pumpkin, put a candle inside, and set it in your entrance porch earlier than trick-or-treaters arrive. Earlier than anybody knocks in your door, you begin interested by alternative ways to make use of this carved pumpkin after the evening’s festivities — pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, pumpkin soup. Can or not it’s a ornament and meals?
We spoke to meals security consultants about ornamental pumpkins and when you should use them as meals.
A carved pumpkin shouldn’t ever be eaten for meals security causes.
“You use a pumpkin as an ingredient or as a decoration, but not as both,” stated Darin Detwiler, a professor of meals coverage at Northeastern College and creator of “Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions.”
Shopping for a pumpkin, carving it, having it as a ornament after which turning it into meals might look like a great way to keep away from meals waste, however meals security must be thought-about to keep away from any dangers of food-borne diseases.
“Pumpkins are a low-acid vegetable, so once they are cut and set at room temperature, pathogens that may be present will grow rapidly on the flesh,” defined Kimberly Baker, a food methods and security program workforce director at Clemson College. “The longer the pumpkin is at room temperature, the more pathogens that grow and can make someone sick if they were to eat the pumpkin.”
When you flip a pumpkin right into a jack-o-lantern, it ought to solely be used for ornamental functions for numerous causes. We might not comply with typical meals security protocols when bringing a pumpkin dwelling. “Often, we are not washing hands before carving, washing the pumpkin, carving them on clean food-safe surfaces or using clean equipment for carving,” Baker stated.
A lower or carved pumpkin must be stored chilly to make sure it doesn’t turn out to be a bunch for micro organism. “Once you cut into it, you must keep it below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to be able to use it [for culinary purposes] later,” stated Norman Hunt IV, a chef and authorized ServSafe supervisor at Nicholls State College in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
“Keep in mind that vegetables, including pumpkins, once cut, are considered a TCS — time and temperature controlled for safety — food,” defined Jonathan Deutsch, a meals and hospitality administration professor at Drexel College in Philadelphia. “That means that it should be cooked immediately or kept refrigerated and cooked within a couple of days for optimal food safety.”
If it’s sitting out for some time, it doesn’t matter if it’s inside or exterior.
When a jack-o-lantern is left exterior, there’s a threat micro organism can develop. “In most of the country, October days can get quite warm, encouraging microbial growth. And critters in urban, suburban and rural environments can all climb in and around jack-o-lanterns,” Deutsch stated. “It is not safe or advisable to cook and eat leftover jack-o-lanterns, even if it looks to be in good condition.”
In the event you’re pondering, I’ll place my jack-o-lantern indoors so there’s no likelihood of animals and bugs. There’s nonetheless a meals security threat. “Keeping a pumpkin indoors does not make a difference for the safety of eating the pumpkin,” Baker defined. “Pathogens can come from any contact surface, inside or outside, and cause the pumpkin to become contaminated.”
Svitlana Romadina by way of Getty Photographs
Cooking a pumpkin isn’t an answer, both. “Depending on the pathogens, some may not be killed or may leave a toxin behind even if the pumpkin is cooked,” Baker defined.
Wish to embellish a pumpkin and eat it later? Do it with out carving into it.
Don’t neglect that there are different methods to brighten a pumpkin, whether or not portray it, utilizing stickers, or different artistic strategies.
“To minimize food waste, one could decorate the pumpkin without cutting it so it can be used as food,” Baker stated. “Decorations can be fastened to the outside without puncturing the skin.”
Emilie Berner, a chef-instructor on the Institute of Culinary Training, provides, “I’d recommend they get a smaller pumpkin (less waste) or don’t carve it at all and decorate it creatively with paints, stickers, pom-poms, etc.” In the event you use paints or glitter, she says, “Make sure to cut all of that away before cooking, and don’t drag it through your pumpkin with your knife as you’re working with it.”
In the event you change the way you embellish your pumpkin this yr so you may eat it, rinse it with water earlier than cooking with it to scale back dangers of cross-contamination. “Pumpkins are often associated with contaminated soil and irrigation issues due to proximity to animals,” Detwiler stated. “Improper cleaning and lack of hand-washing are key factors that place them into the ‘danger category.’”
Carving pumpkins aren’t ideally suited for consuming, anyway.
The reality is most carving pumpkins aren’t the perfect for consuming as a result of they often don’t have the perfect taste or texture, although they are often consumed.
“These pumpkins have a woody texture, a thin wall, and do not have the full flavor as a pie pumpkin that is bred for use as a food,” Baker stated.
Specialists suggest selecting smaller pumpkins to roast for pies or so as to add to soup (sugar pumpkins are an excellent possibility). Based on Deutsch, “These are usually much fleshier, sweeter and have a smoother texture when cooked.”
Take into account saving the seeds and roasting them. “Pumpkin seeds can be roasted and eaten if the seeds are removed at the time of carving and immediately washed and roasted or refrigerated before roasting,” Baker stated.
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In the event you resolve to carve a jack-o-lantern, cut back waste by tossing it into your compost pile or metropolis compost bin as a substitute of the trash this Halloween. Baker recommended, “Use the carved pumpkin in compost to help fertilize new plants in the spring garden.”
Hunt added, “If you know someone with chickens, [pumpkin] makes a great treat!”
