Pepitas

About those punkin guts. Those seeds are a super nutritious treat, well worth a bit of effort. If you are willing to take a few minutes to sort the seeds out (get the punks to help, which is what I did), rinse them and dry them about 24 hours, you are ready to transform those slippery little devils into a crispy, nutty, savory snack. With vitamins.
When the seeds are dry, ( you might even have to put them in the oven on low for a bit to achieve that), get the olive oil out of the frig (oh, you keep yours in the cupboard? Hope you use it up quickly, otherwise keep it in the frig), and some seasalt, and your favorite savory seasonings. I used garlic salt, the kind that has bits of dried parsley in it, for half a batch, and some chili seasoning for the other half. Both halves got a got dose of garlic powder, too. Drizzle the oil, sprinkle the seasonings, mix with your hands (it puts you in touch with the essential essence of your food, which is "a good thing", thank you Martha) and spread on baking sheets. Bake for about an hour at 250 degrees, stir once in a while if you want. When the seeds are crisp and a bit browned, they are ready.
They are delicious warm from the oven, and pretty tasty when cooled, too. Store any that aren't devoured in the first flush of gluttony, in airtight containers. They are a hit with hikers, bikers, punk explorers, car-trippers, actually any one wanting a light-weight, no-sticky-fingers, nutritional treat that fits in a snack bag and a pocket. No preservatives, only wholesome homegrown homemade goodness.


These are the chili-seasoned pepitas. When you smell them warm from the oven, crunch a few between your teeth, savor that nutty-chili flavor bursting all over your tongue - well, you'll agree, it's worth the effort to grow, gut, clean, dry, and bake these morsals of pumpkin treasure.

And don't forget, they are NUTRITIOUS. Unlike the other Halloween treats that came home in the loot bags.