Pumpkins go smash at Halifax's Common Roots Urban Farm
The smashed pumpkins will be compost for next year's crop
Some Halifax residents and their children spent the day after Halloween blowing off steam by smashing jack-o-lanterns as part of Common Roots Urban Farm's Harvest Hootenanny.
"We want to make really good compost and we just thought [pumpkins] were a really easy waste product to turn into food to grow food for next year," said Jayme Melrose, project coordinator for Common Roots Urban Farm.
The pumpkin smashing tradition at the farm — which grows food for food banks and for sale — started in 2012.
"Last year we got about 2000 lbs of pumpkins. That is a ton of pumpkins," said Melrose.
She says the event is a hit with children, who have a blast tossing and hammering pumpkins.
"I thought about my taxes and I had a really great time smashing pumpkins," Melrose joked.
If you missed the Harvest Hootenanny, you can still bring your jack-o-lantern to the farm. Melrose asks people to pre-smash their pumpkins before transporting them, to make it easier for them to compost.