I spent this weekend really getting into the fall and Halloween spirit.  Brian and I drank cider, made spooky Halloween treats, and carved pumpkins.  Growing up, I can remember one of my favorite things about carving pumpkins being the salty roasted pumpkin seeds that Mom would cook up after the carving was finished.

This year was no exception.  I made sure to tell Brian and his brother Adam to save the seeds and toss the other goo so that I could roast up this tasty snack.  I had never made my own pumpkin seeds before, but after a quick phone call to Mom and learning Grandma’s trick for perfect roasting, the seeds were in the oven cooking away.

When it comes to roasting pumpkin seeds, it all starts with the first step in pumpkin carving:  cleaning out the pumpkin.  I made sure to have a garbage bag for all of the goo, and a bowl for the goo with a lot of seeds in it.

Once the pumpkins are carved, it is time to clean off the pumpkin seeds.  Begin by taking a handful of seeds over a strainer and running the handful of seeds under water to rinse them off.  I then put the seeds in the strainer and picked out any orange gooey bits that may have fallen in.  Here is where you will also want to preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Then, transfer the seeds to a large pot and cover the seeds with water.  Add a dash of salt to the pot and put it on the stove to boil.  This is the step that my mom says she learned from my grandma.  I am not sure why we do it, but the seeds always turn out tasty!

Once the water is boiling, drain the seeds of all the water and spread onto a greased baking sheet.  Sprinkle the seeds with a little salt, stir them around, and top them with a little salt again.

Place the pan of seeds into the preheated oven at 250 degrees.  Cook for about 1 and a half hours, stirring the seeds every 15-20 minutes.  Once the seeds are the desired crispness and slightly brown, they are done!

I honestly think that these seeds taste best when warm out of the oven!  Enjoy!

Do you like to roast your pumpkin seeds?

Yes!

What is one “fall” thing that you did this weekend?

Carve pumpkin seeds.