Question about Pumpkin Seeds

Please don't laugh, but can someone tell me what you do with pumpkin seeds ? When I was growing up, pumpkin seeds were black, came in a packet from the Chinese grocery store, and you cracked them open, and ate the little white bit inside. But I'm always reading recipes that say something like "toast the pumpkin seeds, then sprinkle on top to garnish". So then do you eat the whole seed (ie. without peeling) ? And are we talking about the seeds that come out of the middle of a pumpkin or butternut squash ?

Yes, the seeds that come out of the middle of a pumpkin. At least what we call a pumpkin! (See below!)

I love them. And yes, I eat them whole.

Yup...you can clean the seeds of most squash (butternut, pumpkin, just about any I've tried), then toast them up in a bit of oil and salt (I like to add some chile as well). They are good as a snack or a garnish. And yes, you can eat them without peeling them.

When I was growing up, pumpkin seeds were black

Might those have been sunflower seeds?

Cool, thanks Bill and Cynthia. I'll try it next time. I always thought the black seeds were pumpkin seeds - I'll have to double check with my mum next time I see her..

You know, Celia, I was very much in the same boat for years. Here in Ontario, pumpkins are almost like a religion come harvest time - they are everywhere!! Now, personally, while I think the jack-o-lanterns are cute and creative, my interest in the pumpkin is far more on the culinary side, than the artistic/halloween side.

I used to wonder what to do with the seeds too, and finally this past year I came up with an answer for myself. So many sources say to salt and oil them before baking - I give that a thumbs down. What I do for myself is layer a baking tray with aluminum foil, and spread out the pumpkin seeds as evenly as possible along the surface of the foil (prior to this I give them a good rinse in cold water inside a colander to loosen some of the pulp off them). I then place the entire tray in the oven at about 340ºF for one hour exactly (you can just set the timer for an hour and forget about them). When I come back, I remove the tray and let the seeds cool somewhat. They will be quite dry by this time, and will have that lovely roasted aroma. Now, some of them will be difficult to remove from the foil - you just have to manually loosen them and put them in a bowl or whatever. Personally I don't like to have an oily or salty taste on the seeds - they are perfect just as they are!

They are a fantastic substitute for the ubiquitous popcorn while watching a movie, and my favourite drink with pumpkin seeds is a good dark ale or stout.

Enjoy!

My goodness, Cynthia, you do have hairy arms!

Well, it's a little rude to remark on it, Stuart.

My goodness, Cynthia, you do have hairy arms!

yabut what a smile!

Well, it's a little rude to remark on it, Stuart.

Just sayin'.

You can do something like this:

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Jerked Pumpkin Seeds and Smoked Duck Breast.

soup.jpg

I love munching on pumpkin seeds.

rwj

[Robin Garr]

Jerked Pumpkin Seeds

Jerked? That's not a reference to Jamaican "jerk" spices is it? That jerk is not a verb and has no past tense ...

Paul, Robert, thank you for the suggestions. Next time I open a butternut pumpkin, I'll try to do something with the seeds. We have nut allergies in our house, so it would be lovely to find something that would work as a nut substitute.

Jerked Pumpkin Seeds

Jerked? That's not a reference to Jamaican "jerk" spices is it? That jerk is not a verb and has no past tense ...

Hey, I wasn't the chef on that night. I'm just going by what he said.

rwj

My goodness, Cynthia, you do have hairy arms!

yabut what a smile!

Not to mention the great tan!