Saturday, September 10, 2011

Easy to save squash and pumpkin seeds


Above I am starting to clean up the seeds from an organic Kabocha squash. They look somewhat like a buttercup squash but are Japanese in origin.  Use your hands to remove the pulpy bits and wash in water as necessary.  Spread out on a plate to dry.  Turn them every day or so until very dry.  Then pack in a glass jar and seal for next's years garden.  Couldn't be simpler.  One caution though - be sure they are good and dry or they may grow mold.

Picture below shows me having cut the squash in half to get at the seeds.  I tend to bake the flesh and use it mashed.  Sometimes I freeze it after baking for a quick start to a vegetable dish for another meal.


Below I am taking the seeds out of a baby sugar pumpkin that we grew in the garden.  Some people call them pie pumpkins.  They tend to give enough flesh to make 2 pumpkin pies.  Save what you need and toast the remaining seeds in the oven for a healthy snack.  The toasted squash/pumpkin seeds are also good scattered over salad.


Below is a shot of the bottom of a large butternut squash.  I filled the cavity with some organic butter, local honey, fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of my ground hot cayenne peppers before baking.  All kinds of possibilities!


Enjoy the harvest moon!  Save your squash and pumpkin seeds for next year.



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