John Thomson

I just smash up my egg shells and throw them in the worm bin, it means my vermicast has alot of eggshell but it makes a great amendment to the soil and the worms need the calcium so healthier worms too.

I have a very dense clay soil, we used lime and a rotary hoe then forked in a mass of compost this started the break up of the clay and I had 2-3 inches of good top soil. The next winter I put a trailer load of Cow Manure on and threw in some tiger worms from my worm farm, it took about 6 months but I know have some of the best soil I have ever grown in.
Another amendment/mulch additive I like is nut shells we have a friend with walnut trees and my kids love opening peanuts, the shells make a good addition to your compost and aid with moisture retention like a mini hugel!

You already listed most of the ways we use them, we roast them and bake and stuff them to. If you want more recipes Google "Kumara" that's what we call them in New Zealand. Different types for different dishes one of my favourites is an orange fleshed one we call a Beauregard Kumara, it is sweet and goes really well in a beef curry with a tomato base.