Eating Squash Seeds
One of the great autumn mysteries has always been – at least at our house – whether you can eat squash seeds. It’s not really something that’s easy to look up, so I’ve sadly tossed seeds with the thought that maybe seeds are like mushrooms. Some are edible; some are NOT.
A few weeks ago, I found the answer… you can eat all winter squash seeds.
So here they are, the remnants of the three large squashes that once decorated our table (American jack-o-lantern pumpkin, German squash, and butternut squash). The German squash seeds – not so addicting.
Their mamas used to grace our table.
The squashes are pureed and patiently waiting to become pies and other Thanksgiving classics.
Do you eat your seeds, too? It’s our first time pureeing pumpkin – anyone have experience or advice?
November 24th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I don’t have a food processor, so here’s how I puree for pies, etc. Trying to puree cooked squash in a blender doesn’t work that well. To puree, I cook the cubed pumpkin/squash on the stove with a little water until very mushy, then mash it with a fork. That leaves it a little chunky. For pie or other baking, I take the slightly lumpy squash and put it in the blender with the other wet ingredients and then puree. I find that for pumpkin pie in particular, it makes for a great, fluffy filling.
November 24th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Do you eat your seeds plain, or do you roast them with some seasonings? We’re pretty fond of cinnamon/sugar and garlic salt (obviously not together!) I’ve found pureeing pumpkin works best when the pumpkin has been boiled first in just a little bit of water. Add a bit of the water to the pumpkin when pureeing. I’ve never been able to get my pumpkin to the exact consistency of canned pumpkin, so I always just do a smidge less liquid when I’m making my pies and they turn out fine.
November 24th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
This certainly brings up some old memories as I remembered eating squash seeds were one of my favorite things.
November 24th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Yes, we roast and eat all our squash/pumkin seeds. We love them.
I bake or steam my pumpkin, skin (except for Hokkaido, it had edible skin), seeds and strings removed and cut into chunks and then just throw it in the blender (careful if it’s still hot!) or food processor to puree. Some pumpkins contain more water than other so depending on what you’re making you might want to drain the puree in a mesh sieve for a while to remove excess liquid. That’s especially important for pumpkin pie
November 24th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Huh, I was just wondering this last night. We made a dish with delicata squash and as I was taking the seeds out I was wondering whether I should save them or not. I didn’t. But now I know I can.
November 25th, 2009 at 9:05 am
We usually roast our pumpkin seeds when we make a jack-o-lantern. I haven’t tried roasting any others. Now maybe I will the next time I cook a squash.
November 27th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Pumpkin seeds, yes! Anything else? Never tried it. I only had one small pumpkin from our garden this year, so I passed up pureeing it. Maybe next year we’ll get a better crop and I’ll feel inspired.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:51 am
Wash the pumpkin seeds well, then spread them out on a cookie tray (with edges). Oil the tray first with any veg oil. Salt them. Bake them slowly on low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are crunchy and dry. I leave the oven door a little bit open because they can burn easily. Store in a wide mouth glass jar. They are much like salted peanuts.
Pumpkin can be cut up and roasted in large chunks before pie making. It’s easier to peel the skin off afterward, then mash the squash.