Pumpkin seeds

[Taedareth]

Time for fresh pumpkin pie and roasted pumpkin seeds. But wait, do the seeds need to be soaked or sprouted? If so, how?

[sewchris2642]

It takes me about 4 days to complete the process. Day 1, clean and dry the seeds (over night; unless it's damp out, then it takes longer). Day 2, soak in salted water to taste (I do heavily salted water like ocean water); again over night. Day 3, dry again. Day 4, roast in oven until lightly brown at 325 to 350 degrees. Store in tightly closed jar. And hope they last longer than a week. I find that drying the seeds before soaking them in salted water makes the seed soak up the salt better. My kids like the seeds salty. If you don't, then skip the soaking in salty water and roast after the first drying.

[Taedareth]

Thanks!

[MamieCole]

We love pumpkin seeds around here. I love to experiment with lots of different flavors/spices!

I don't prepare them for lasting longer than a week. We eat them up as quickly as I can make them. So no 4-day process for me.

Here's what I do:

Rinse the seeds in a colander and get out any large pieces or strings of pumpkin. I spread the seeds into a single layer on top of a clean kitchen towel to dry for a bit. If I am patient, I leave them an hour or so. If I am not, I use another kitchen towel on top to dab up as much moisture as possible.

Then depending upon how many seeds I have and how many different variations of flavors I want to make with this batch, I divide the seeds into 2-3 bowls. *See seasoning variations below

After seasoning, I put spread them into a single layer on a silpat covered cookie sheet and bake @350 degrees. I don't really have a set time, as I just keep an eye on them and can tell when they are ready. (Having done it so many times.) But I'd say it takes between 12-15 minutes. It really depends on how wet the seeds are to begin with.

Take them out of the oven. Try to wait until they cool enough to not burn your tongue and enjoy!


*Some of our favorite combos for flavored seeds:
Lemon/Garlic/Parmesan- In bowl, combine seeds with the juice of one lemon. (Less juice if fewer seeds. Just need enough to coat them.) Add a small amount of olive oil. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder to your taste. Stir well. Spread onto baking sheet, then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese (and sea salt if you prefer a saltier taste) and bake until done. These will turn dark brown/blackish in spots due to the lemon juice, but don't confuse this with burning. They taste delish!

Chili Lime- Combine seeds with the juice of one lime and a splash of olive oil. Stir in chili powder to your taste. (More is better!) Spread on baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake!

Spicy Cajun- Combine seeds with a small amount of olive oil, Tony Chachere's seasoning and chili powder. Spread onto baking sheet and bake.

[nicky85]

My husband has eaten some raw. He cleaned them off and just started eating them. I think he's crazy. I like my pumpkin seeds toasted. I think eating pumpkin seeds raw (not the pepitas from the grocery store, but right out of the pumpkin, still in their seed casings) is like eating fingernails. He researched it and said it's not poisonous, and he's still here, so I guess it must be true!

[bluets]

i think toasting lightly (low temp) = soaking + drying. not sure though.

anyhow, i did toasting with butter (if i hadn't run out of CO, i would have used it instead), lots of cinnamon and a touch of rapadura.