Roasting Pumpkin or Squash Seeds

This post was taken from an old blog I used to do on the homestead. This post is from 2015.

We are all for being smart and frugal so it goes without saying that saving the seeds from pumpkins or squash would be a given.  Two things can be done with a good quality seed...saved to be planted the following year or roasted and eaten!  

I had a great harvest of pumpkins and squash this year.

That means I will have a lot of seeds to divvy up between planting and roasting.  

Roasting the seeds isn't hard but just like anything you have to take time to do it.  The process is simple; after you clean your pumpkin or squash, put the seeds in a bowl and proceed to process your pumpkin/squash for freezing or canning.

There are many opinions on seasoning the seeds and I've tried a few but this is our favorite method.  Soak the seeds overnight in salt water. 

I don't know how much salt per water, I just toss in a few teaspoons in a good sized bowl of it.  (Use sea salt if you can.) 

The next day, rinse the seeds well and let them drain for a while.

When you think they have drained long enough drizzle a bit of olive oil over them.  How much?  I don't know but this is what I do....I had 3 pumpkins worth of seeds (that's a few cups of seeds) and then I used not quite 3 tablespoons of oil.  Then add salt, lots of salt.  The first time I did it I thought I had enough salt but thought I should have added more.  Remember the salt will fall off some of the seeds when you put it in the jar.  Maybe start with a small batch just to test how you like it.

Using a metal pan, spread the seeds out on it and roast at 250 degrees for 30 minutes.  
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Stir and repeat until done.  I think it takes about 2 hours and that depends on the pan as well.  I have 2 pans I use at the same time.  
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One is black and one is silver.  For some reason the black one roasts them quicker than the silver one.  

Store them in an air tight container.  Here is a half gallon jar almost full of them and we have a long way to go before we're done harvesting them all from the rest of the pumpkins and squash.

These are tasty in the evening when you want a little snack but are trying not to over indulge; because you have to chew them so long it seems as if you have a lot to munch on.

Hopefully this will encourage you to take the time to save this nutritious gift from God.