in my kitchen… roasting pumpkin seeds

Last week a friend offered us some pumpkins that were left over from her school. I was so excited, especially after our dismal pumpkin harvest this year. So we spent the day cooking, pureeing and freezing pumpkin… and roasting the seeds. (We should have been unpacking but we seem to have lost our momentum)

We had two large pumpkins which we cut in half, scooped out the seeds and then baked in the oven. When they came out I scrapped out the meat and pureed it in the blender. Then I froze it in baggies in 2 cup increments. We’ll use it for pumpkin bread, pies and soup over the next few months. 

Our favorite part of the pumpkin is the seeds… well, at least for some of us. 

It’s always good to have a teenage boy around to cut into a the pumpkin. Gabriel has his own unique way of “butchering” the pumpkin. He cuts the stem out first and then slices it open. Always. He never deviates from the plan.

It is also good to have a 9 year old boy who will do almost anything to avoid doing math, including pulling all the seeds out of the pumpkin…

 …and then scooping out all the stringy stuff out. All the while making nonsense jokes with his brother. Boys are fun like that.

I like to soak the seeds in a salt water brine so that the salt gets infused with the seed. I use 1 tsp. salt to 1 cup water and let it sit over night. The brine also helps to break down some of the enzymes that can be hard to digest. In the morning I drain the brine but don’t wash the seeds.

 Spread the seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle some olive oil on them, stir them so that they all get coated. You can also add more salt or other spices like spicy pepper or cumin. Bake at 350 degrees for and hour or so. You need to check them every 20 minutes and stir them. When they look toasted, they are ready. 

Thanks for sharing with your friends!