There are two ways to approach saving seeds to eat from homegrown pumpkins.
With the first, you focus on the seeds themselves, and do all you can to grow the Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, or C. maxima.varieties that produce the best seed harvest for roasting.
The other way is to consider them as a secondary benefit, collecting them for consumption only after you’ve carved the jack-o’-lanterns, made the pies, or taken down the autumn display.
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You know what? Either way, you’ll be growing your own food and enjoying a fall favorite. And either approach delivers the nutritional benefits of this superfood, including fiber and healthy fats.
And hey, no matter which goal you’re pursuing, the best timing and the scooping and drying methods are the same. That’s the process I’ll share coming up.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Best Pumpkin Varieties for Seeds to EatI’m not going to pull any punches here. If you want to focus on growing your own pumpkin seeds for snacks, and to add to baked goods and float on autumnal soups, the best by far are the hull-less varieties, often called pepitas or “naked” seed pumpkins.
These are C. pepo cultivars, just like many jack-o’-lantern and pie varieties, but the seeds within the fruits don’t have an exterior coat. That’s right, they come out bright green with nothing more than very thin, papery skins.
This type is often known as Styrian or oilseed. A couple of cultivars you might like to grow include ‘Lady Godiva’ and ‘Williams Naked Seeded.’
The snacks you buy from the grocery are usually of the hull-less variety.
If you’ve decided to grow
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