Every October I buy pumpkins. Every November I throw away pumpkins. Three years in a row I watched them soften and collapse on the porch until I finally asked: what else can I actually do with these things?

Turns out pumpkins are way more useful than I thought — and not just the flesh. The seeds, the skin, even the stem have uses.

Eat more than just pie

Roasted pumpkin cubes: peel, cube, toss with olive oil and salt, roast at 400°F for 25-30 minutes. Way better than canned. They get caramelized edges and a sweet, nutty interior.

Non-food uses

Pumpkin planter: cut the top off, scoop it out, fill with soil and a plant. It’ll last 2-3 weeks before breaking down. Then you plant the whole thing in the garden — pumpkin decomposes into fertilizer.

Bird feeder: hollow out, cut a couple of perching holes, fill with birdseed, hang from a sturdy branch. Squirrels will also appreciate it.

Compost: whole pumpkins break down fast in a compost pile. Smash them first to speed it up. Even carved jack-o-lanterns are fine — just remove any candle wax first.

The only pumpkins I throw away now are the ones that have gone fully soft and moldy. Everything else gets used.