Roasted Pumpkin Seeds & Pumpkin Skin Crisps

Pumpkins Galore, but don’t waste the skins and seeds.

Last season, not a single pumpkin seed was intentionally planted in my garden, but as pumpkin seeds have a mind of their own, plenty popped up in the strangest of places regardless.

We’ve been in our new place around six months and while our monty edible garden is yet to be constructed, there is still plenty of growing spaces around the property.  Over a grassy bank that rambles down to a stream, we spotted stray pumpkin plants several months ago. Seeds had been laying dormant for many months and on their own accord, grew among kaikoura grass and thistles, most happily. Low and behold, in a matter of weeks there were blossoms, bees, then glorious silver skinned crown pumpkins.

pumpkin flowerhomegrown pumpkinsPumpkins are ready to pick when the plant naturally begins to die off. If you are in frost-prone regions of New Zealand as I am, you’ll want to pick them at the first very sign, if not before the bad weather hits. Pumpkin, once picked and stored, can last for months. They don’t fair however, sitting on wet ground and will otherwise rot quickly.

While I have many pumpkin recipes to share with you, I thought I’d firstly think about the skins and seeds – the most commonly wasted part of the vegetable (or fruit — officially, as it contains seeds, it’s a fruit)!

There’s no reason why you can’t roast pumpkin skin on and eat the skin as part of the delicious roasted delight. However, from time to time, skins come off and are usually destined for the bin. STOP. If you haven’t got a compost bit, sort that out immediately — but skins are very edible too.

As with the seeds – not only can they be dried ready for planting some summer, they can be roasted too and eaten as a snack.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

roasted pumpkin seedsroasted pumpkin seedsScoop out the seeds from the inside of your pumpkin. Wash them well to remove any slimy or stringy matter, drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Add seeds to a bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Allow the salt to extract out some moisture (approx 15 minutes). Mix seeds with olive oil and sprinkle with cayenne pepper and ground turmeric. (Use milder spices of you like less bite – smoked paprika and cumin work well too). Slow bake at 140°C for approx 20-30 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.

Note: I found a longer, low temperature bake was good to assist in drying them out, rather than a quick roast which may darken the seeds but otherwise have a chewy, husky result.

PUMPKIN SKIN CRISPS

pumpkin skin crispsWash the pumpkin, then remove the skin in small, thin pieces. I find this easier to do with a small vegetable knife. Add skins to a bowl, sprinkle well with salt and toss well. Allow the salt to extract out some moisture (approx 15 minutes). Add a drop of oil onto the skins (there will be enough salt remaining on the skins, so don’t add more) and using your fingers, ensure that there’s a fine film of oil on all of the skin pieces. Prepare your roasting tray, spread out the skins in a single layer. Slow bake at 140°C for approx 30 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.

Serve as a side, or with your favourite dip.

 

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