Lesson Number 4: Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

After a good bit of experimentation, Jesse and I decided we like the following instructions for roasting/toasting pumpkins the best. Be forewarned, it is super basic- no fancy flavors, no special herb blends, no oil. We like this recipe because we like the taste of pumpkin seeds. Know that you can roast ANY winter squash seeds with the following instructions. I hope you are able to enjoy this recipe in the coming weeks. Our recipe begins with a fresh pumpkin- ready for carving....like any good pumpkin recipe should. :)

Ours ended up looking like it was screaming, thanks to the artistic direction of our 2 year old.

We scooped all of the "guts" out of the pumpkin as thoroughly as possible

Next, you pull the seeds from the pulp. You won't be able to remove all of the pulp this way- but the more you get now the easier the next few steps will be.

Rinse the  seeds well.

Toss the seeds with salt and pepper while still wet. DO NOT PAT THEM DRY. We lightly salted with sea salt and just a few shakes of pepper.

Here's where technology failed us- we'd already had to switch from one camera to another at this point- and then the second device quit taking pictures. So there are no photos for the rest of this lesson.

Spread your still wet, salted and peppered seeds on a baking sheet. Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes making sure to shake them every 5 minutes*. If you forget to shake them, break out your handy dandy spatula to help get them moving. At the end of 30 minutes, you will have perfect pumpkin seeds everytime! The first 15 minutes helps to dry them out, while the second 15 minutes toasted them beautifully.

Please let me know how this works for you and your family!

*note: We did not fully preheat the oven either (just so you know).