How to make a delicious snack

Suitable pumpkin varieties

Any pumpkins that are edible can serve as core suppliers. The popular Hokkaido pumpkin has a particularly large number of them. But the following varieties are also well suited for removing seeds:

• Nutmeg Pumpkin
• yellow and red hundredweight
• Oil pumpkins

You can grow these pumpkins yourself in your own garden and enjoy a good harvest in the fall. But pumpkins from the trade also offer usable seeds. If the pumpkin is healthy, so will the seeds, because inside they are safely protected from harmful germs.

Ripe pumpkin - ripe seeds

Only ripe seeds can be dried for consumption, and these are always found in ripe pumpkins. So whenever an orange-colored fruit is one of your cooking ingredients, you can look forward to a few seeds. The inner workings of Halloween pumpkins don't have to be thrown away either.

Prepare the kernels for drying

Once a pumpkin is cut open, the seeds can be easily accessed. However, these are connected to the pulp by a fine mesh of threads and must first be removed from the inside of the pumpkin. The easiest way to do this is with a spoon or with your bare hand. The removed kernels are not yet ready to dry in their condition.

1. Remove any coarse remains of the pulp from the seeds by hand.
2. In a bowl with water, you can remove further residues from the kernels by rubbing them. with the help of a clean dish brush or vegetable brush.
3. Then rinse the seeds well in a sieve several times. The bowls should be completely clean.
4. Place the seeds on a clean kitchen towel so that it soaks up some of the water.

Dry in the oven

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° to 200 ° C.
2. Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet. They should not overlap so that they can dry well on all sides. It is also useful to use baking paper so that the cores do not stick to the tray.
3. Slide the sheet metal onto the middle rail.
4. Leave the kernels in the oven for about 20 minutes. Apply halfway through the time. Use a breakdown turner for this, as the kernels get very hot and can burn your hands.
5. After 20 minutes, take out the baking sheet and let the kernels cool down. Only then may the kernels be collected in a container.

Dehydrator, also ideal for pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds are dried even more evenly and easily in a dehydrator. If you have such a device, then the moist cores are in good hands.

It takes longer to dry than in the oven because it is done gently at low temperatures. But there is no rush to dry the kernels anyway. It is important that they dry really well, otherwise they can get moldy in their storage place later.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions when drying the cores. It also makes sense to swap the individual layers in between.

Storage and shelf life

Leave the pods on until the use of the kernels is imminent. As a result, the edible interior is even better shielded from external influences and thus more durable. Keep them dry and cool. A can but also paper bags are ideal collecting containers. The dried seeds have a very long shelf life. Rely on your sense of taste. This is the best way to tell you whether the kernels are still edible.

Use of the kernels

Dried pumpkin seeds are a popular ingredient in some salads and dishes because they crunch up nicely. For most varieties, the shell must first be cracked. Varieties with thin skins can be eaten this way.

As a snack, the dried seeds are also a pleasure when roasted. In the pan, they can be enriched with other flavors, for example with salt or paprika powder. A sweet variant with cinnamon and twitching can also taste delicious.

Drying pumpkin seeds as seeds

Pumpkin seeds that are to be used as seeds in the following year must not be exposed to such high temperatures, otherwise they will no longer germinate. Drying in an oven is therefore unsuitable.

• Allow the kernels to air dry slowly
• Spread out individually on kitchen paper
• drying can take a month
• Turn the seeds occasionally
• collect dry seeds
• store in a dark, cool and dry place

Tip.
Even larger quantities of seeds can be gently air dried for consumption. But this only works well in warm autumn periods.

Conclusion for quick readers

• Suitable seeds: From all edible pumpkins that are ripe; z. B. Hokkaido
• Preparation: Remove pulp residues, wash and, if necessary, Use vegetable brush
• Oven: one layer on a tray with baking paper; approx. 20 minutes; Turn the kernels in between
• Temperature: 180 to 200 degrees Celsius
• Dehydrator: ideal for drying pumpkin seeds; according to the manufacturer's instructions
• Storage: Let the kernels cool down first; then collect in a can
• Storage location: cool and dry
• Durability: Long durability; rely on the sense of taste; Dispose of moldy kernels
• Use: without shell; in salads or as a snack; also roasted with spices
• Seeds: air dry the kernels for about a month; Oven is too hot;