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Mr Libido Incognito Mr Libido Incognito is offline
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Default How to shell (dehull) pumpkin seeds at home?

Kathleen wrote on 21 Jun 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> sf wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:07:08 -0500, Kathleen wrote:
> >
> >
> >> wrote:
> >> > I'm interested in growing a few pumpkins this year and to keep
> >> > the seeds... I enjoy them raw, but I buy them already dehulled...
> >> > is there an easy way to do that at home?
> >>
> >> I roast and eat the seeds from our Halloween pumpkins shell and
> >> all. The best ones come from the common orange pumpkins. The seeds
> >> from the white pumpkins, and those giant pinkish things (I think
> >> they're some sort of gourd rather than a true pumpkin) are too
> >> tough for this method.
> >>

> >
> > I've roasted the seeds of many pumpkins over the years and they
> > NEVER turn out right no matter what I do to them. So, I still
> > prefer buying a package of already roasted and salted pepitas. Less
> > work, better eating.

>
>
> If that's what you like, why not?
>
> I like to toss the seeds with some melted butter, garlic, cayenne
> pepper, soy sauce, cajun seasoning or whatever else I happen to have
> on hand. I leave some of the strings/pulp for flavor, add the
> seasonings and then bake at about 300 F, stirring frequently, for as
> long as it takes to get the seeds brown and crispy. The time will
> obviously vary with the size of the batch and personal preference and
> the tasting and testing is part of the fun.
>
>
>


What I liked about roasting pumpkins was the kids...The procedure lasted
about a week...From the driving around several sites thumping pumpkins to
selecting the best one...to the drawing the face, carving and getting out
the seeds...The washing and drying of the seeds then the tossing in
melted butter and the sprinkling on of the salt and seasoning. We used to
slow roast in a 200F oven to get the house full of the smell. The kids
enjoyed doing it all. Definately time well spent. These days I just buy
them. But now my 33 yr old daughter still continues the pumpkin seed
tradition.

All the talking and the bright eyes...all the screw ups...mine too. When
I started to do this I just soaked the seeds over night in salty water
then put them on a cookie sheet dotted with butter and sprinkled with
salt...later on I refined the recipe. But the kids enjoyed even the
fasilures and talked about the roasting days prior and after the
halloween event almost as much as about the candy they got trick or
treating.

--
-Alan