Even more considered as rubbish than the pumpkin flesh, after it has been scooped out and the face carved into its skin, are the seeds of the pumpkin. Seeds are life.
A generally stated fact is that there are about 500 seeds in each pumpkin, and a pumpkin will only have pumpkin seeds, not sunflower seeds. A mid point of 15 million pumpkins purchased each year in the ‘UK’ for Halloween purposes multiplied by 500 = 7,500,000,000, or 7.5 billion. If that was money it would be seen as a lot.
But as those life seeds of the pumpkin, let’s have a look at this catastrophic loss. From the Healthline website https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-benefits-of-pumpkin-seeds (and there are many other websites if on the abnormal interface of the digital screen, and still a few real humans who know the health constituents of pumpkin seeds), the list of truly profound health benefits of these miracles of life are long. Even though it’s the green seeds that are available for purchase, those 7.5 billion life capsules which rot in landfill when the few days are over and the humans move onto fireworks, and the big C (Christmas) even though not as pretty, are edible whole, the fibrous exterior and all.
High protein, good fat, good digestive fibre. Manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron. Very high in antioxidants which go after the free radicals (a purely biological entity not yet another new political movement) and reduce inflammation, thus combatting serious disease like cancer. Unlike democratic societies which abhor any evidence of real biology, the human body is still a biological body and the millions of processes going on each second are an astonishing balancing network between different mediums and forces, like the heart for instance.
Pumpkin seeds improve blood sugar levels (useful for the average British diet), help blood pressure, give bone strength, and strengthen sperm. For those wishing to procreate a human and unable this would be very useful. It is not very relevant to the overall decline down to virtually nil in the native population of Britain as the females cannot now be bothered with such things and the many males programmed to procreate and bring up good and strong children are unable to follow through the natural processes of life. But for those humans wishing to procreate and unable due to the male side, pumpkin seeds would be oh so beneficial.
Now, in a joined up political, medical, and food supply administration of a society (a group of people under an administration, sharing communication and long term networks) the procurement of the medical system would be collecting the pumpkin seeds over Halloween. Distribution and logistics would be quickly organised to dispense pumpkin seeds to all regional health authorities. Schools would be teaching pupils the ‘whole pumpkin’ approach, the inclusivity of those life-packed seeds, different ways of preparing them into meals they will sit down with their family groupings to eat. They would be the snack of choice over Halloween week rather than the takeaway just outside the school gate, and methods of storing would be taught to ensure a supply during the lean winter months ahead. ‘There are no lean months ahead’ the children might say. Then there could be a valuable history lesson in how ancestors used to store food for winter months ahead when nothing grew, and the teacher could discuss the real possibility that supply chains will break down and the global food arriving daily into the ‘UK’ simply will not arrive. School children will be very grateful to have 7,500,000,000 pumpkin seeds to eat then.