My Pumpkin Seed Recipe
I am going to share something personal with you today. My Pumpkin seed recipe. Now it is that time of year where you will be buying those big orange gourds and squashes to carve up into Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.
(works great with all other squashes too!)
I know you. You just scrape those seeds out and throw them away don’t you. No no no! Don’t do it! Those pumpkin seeds make an awesome snack and are good for you.
“But Chris!”, you are saying, “how do I convert that awful gooey mess that I scrape out of my pumpkin into a yummy and nourishing snack?”
Not to worry – I shall commence to explain the method to my madness.
First, don’t waste time trying to separate all the seeds out of the goop. Just do your best and scrape all that stuff into a big pot. Fill the pot up with water. Pour in a bunch of salt. Don’t go easy on the salt. This salt is the most important part.
Now boil this big mess of gook for a long time. I just put it on low and let it simmer for an hour or so. You need to be careful if you cover the pot because the goop boil-over can be quite messy on the stove.
When your concoction is done let it cool and feel free to let it sit in the pot for a few hours. Now you have to get the excess water out of the mixture. First drain off as much water as you can. Next you can use one of two methods to further dry the seeds. First you can line a collander with paper towels and pour the goop into that to let it sit until it drains well. It may take a day. Second you can spread some paper towels onto a bunch of newspapers and dump your concoction out on that. The newsprint will soak up the excess water.
Now it’s time to cook. Spread the seeds and guts out evenly on a big cookie sheet. Pop them in the oven at 350. You can shake some more salt on them if you want, but it’s probably overkill. Keep an eye on them. You don’t want them to burn. Move them around on the cookie sheet if you have to so they cook evenly. When they are golden brown, take them out and let them cool.
Voila! You have a scrumptious snack. I know it sounds like a lot of work for a handful of seeds but I think you’ll find it well worth it!
Save those seeds!