For this week’s Thrifty Thursday, the title is not referring to saving seeds for planting (which is an entirely thrifty activity for those of us that garden). Nope, I’m talking about the seeds that come inside those tasty winter squash, especially butternut squash and pumpkins. They make a tasty, fiber-filled, mineral-rich snack and are infinitely customizable to your own tastes. Learn how, after the jump…
Anyone who has carved a jack-o-lantern knows that part of the process is scooping out the guts of the pumpkin. Same goes for butternut or acorn squash. Once you’ve got a tangled mass of seeds and pulpy strings, soak them in a big bowl of water, agitating the mixture to separate seeds from strings. Take a few minutes to pick out as many strings and as much pulp as you can (or put your kids to work). When you’ve got mostly separated seeds, drain and rinse the seeds, then pat dry with a kitchen towel to remove the excess water.
Toss the seeds with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Toast in a 275° oven for approximately 25 minutes, until the seeds are audibly popping and crispy. Let cool and snack away.
You can spice these up if you like. The easiest way is with a spice blend. For a sweeter snack, sprinkle the seeds with pumpkin spice and a small amount of sugar. For spicy seeds, try chili or garlic powder.
Kelli Best-Oliver
A former high school teacher, I'm currently a part-time writer/full-time doctoral student at the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities, studying leadership in education from a critical pedagogy perspective along with public policy. On the green side, I'm interested in local food and agriculture (Iowa girl, born and raised), sustainability education, DIY projects, and grassroots activism. I'm slowly turning my South City, St Louis home into an urban farmstead. On the hoping-to-be-greener side, I love reading, yoga, soccer, music, backpacking, knitting, pop culture and trivia, my Tuesday Night Dinner Club, traveling, Guitar Hero, dive bars, and sitting on front porches with my husband and a cold beer. I came to Green Options via a post on Sustainablog,working the St Louis angle to get Jeff to let me in. I have a personal blog chronicling (what else?) life in South St. Louis. Follow me on Twitter!
One Response to Thrifty Thursdays: Save Those Seeds
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We grew pumpkins this year from some of the ones bought last year. The kids love doing that. Had some pop up in unexpected places, as we had composted a whole pumpkin.