CREDIT: BLOGS.SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM

The pumpkin. Once autumn rolls around it is a familiar and comforting sight. As the the temperature gets chillier, pumpkins are carved up to display festive gap-toothed grins. Not long after the celebration of ghosts and ghouls, these orange caricatures are forgotten and discarded as their good looks fade. Yet pumpkins are much more useful than being a doorstop, so prolong their usefulness and get as much bang for your buck as possible.

The jack-o'-lantern originates from Ireland before it made its way over to North America with the first Irish immigrants. The trend for glowing faces began not with pumpkins, but with turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets! These legumes were hollowed out and lit from within to stand guard outside and ward of the evil spirit of “Stingy Jack.” Today it has evolved to the predominant use of pumpkins and more often serves as festive decoration in hopes of scaring canvasing children. Do you have a pumpkin this season? Try some of these ideas to extend its use and give it a new purpose!

Even the slimy pumpkin innards can be used! Save the pulp and feed it to birds for a snack during the cold season.

Browse websites such as Pinterest for a multitude of ideas and recipes for delicious treats, both sweet and savoury. Try pumpkin bars, bread and soup — the possibilities are endless! Pumpkins are best used fresh, but can be used up to 24 hours after being carved.

A quick snack for on the go is pumpkin seeds! Dry and bake the seeds for a tasty and healthy treat.

- Looking for homemade holistic beauty recipes? Use pumpkin puree to make your own products like exfoliating masks and body butters.

You can get even craftier and make air fresheners, candles, serving bowls and household decorations.

Use your carved creation as a planter; fill it with soil and place a plant inside. You can either set it out on the porch for a few days or bury the entire planter in the garden. The pumpkin will compost naturally and create a rich soil.

Need more incentive? According to the Huffington Post, Health magazine has indicated that pumpkins contain free-radical-neutralizing properties in their carotenoids (often converted into Vitamin A) that help prevent cancer cells and also help prevent wrinkles as well.

Don't be so quick to throw those beauties — their usefulness lasts long past Halloween!