Late October 2023 | Practical Self Reliance
Roasting Pumpkin Seeds and Preserving Winter Squash
This past week has been pumpkin seed boot camp, where we cleaned and roasted more than two gallons of pumpkin seeds so that I could develop recipes for y’all.
The local elementary school saved all the guts from their carving pumpkins for me to pick up, and I skipped to my car like a deranged pumpkin-seed Santa with sacks thrown over my shoulder.
If you haven’t tried roasted pumpkin seeds, you’re missing out. They’re an old-fashioned snack that’s incredibly nutritious, and so many of us have fond memories of roasting pumpkin seeds each year with our parents and grandparents.
All said and done, I developed more than a dozen pumpkin seed recipes for y’all, and I truly hope you enjoy them.
I’ve also included tips and tricks for cleaning pumpkin seeds, and believe it or not, with the right technique, I separated 2 gallons of seeds from the rest of the pumpkin guts in under an hour.
I used to sell these babies at markets, and so I’ve learned a trick or two to get ‘er done.
All these jars will be making their way back to the school for the kids to enjoy, but now I have the recipes to share with you as well!
Read More: How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds (with 12+ Flavor Recipes)
Things You Might Need This Week
Beyond pumpkin seeds, it is the time of year for all things pumpkin and winter squash!
Canning Thai Coconut Squash Soup (Ball Tested Recipe)
Seasonal Preserving
Pumpkins aren’t the only thing available by the wagon load this time of year…
How to Dehydrate Apples or Pears (DIY Fruit Chips)
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Things I’m Loving
Harvest Right Freeze Dryers run their biggest sale of the year for the whole month of November, and if you’ve had your eye on one, soon you’ll see the best prices of the year. Check this link on Nov. 1st to see what they’ve cooked up this year.
Tincture Making 101 Mini-Course ~ I’m excited about this new mini-course coming from the Herbal Academy, and tinctures are one of the main ways we preserve herbal remedies for year-round use. When I sent out a newsletter with all my favorite tincture recipes earlier this year, it got so much incredible feedback that I know y’all are into tinctures just as much as I am.
The course goes live TODAY on Oct. 31st.
What are you harvesting, preserving, building, or exploring on your homestead this week? I’d love to hear about it!
Leave me a note in the comments…
(Comments only, please. Emails tend to get lost in my inbox, and as much as I’d love to get back to each and every one, my screen time is very limited…and things fall through the cracks, and emails get buried in my inbox. If you comment here, they’re all in one place, and it’s much easier to get back to every single one.)
Until Next Time,
Ashley at Practical Self Reliance
this whole newsletter is PURE gold! thank you!!
I made the pumpkin powder!! My food processor (kitchen aid) did not do a good job of really grinding it up. So, I’ll spread it thinner next time so it is more brittle and less leather-like. Even with that, though, I am SO happy with drying pumpkin instead of adding something to the freezer.I have 4 more pumpkins to go, so I can’t wait to learn your zippy seed cleaning ideas!!
Thanks!