Or any kind of winter
squash seeds, actually. I've used pumpkin, spaghetti squash, and delicata
squash, and have read that other kinds (acorn, butternut, buttercup, hubbard,
etc.) work, too.
Put the seeds in a bowl of warm water and rub
them thoroughly to get rid of the slimy stuff. Most of the seeds should be
pretty clean anyway, but some will be stuck in the strings. If you squeeze the
end that’s stuck in the strings the seeds should squirt right out. (It’s kind
of fun, actually!) When the seeds are clean (don’t forget to save the water and
the slime and strings for the compost pile), put them in some salted water,
bring to a boil, and simmer them for 10 minutes. Drain, and spread them out in
a baking sheet that you greased with a tablespoon or so of oil or drippings.
Bake on the top shelf of the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until they
start to brown. Smaller seeds, like from delicata squash, may be done in as
little as 5 minutes, so check them frequently.
What I like about this way of fixing the seeds
is that you eat the whole thing, shell and all. No fussing around trying to
shell them, though of course you can if you want to. I was very doubtful about
that when I read it and expected to shell the seeds whatever the recipe said,
but it turned out that they were right and I was wrong.
They're free, except
for the salt and the oil, since you got the pumpkin for Halloween or the squash
for the squash-ness of it.
Variations:
3.
Or try your favorite spice blend, either
sweet or spicy. I wonder how they’d be with a bit of pumpkin pie spice and
sweetener?
