Roasted Pumpkin seeds

Roasting pumpkin seeds is something I look forward too every fall. The feel of the pumpkin guts coating my arm to the elbow and the smell of roasted seeds is etched into every part of my childhood. Everyone else can keep pumpkin spice coffee and Pumpkin bread and donuts and everything else that gets tainted with the orange scourge of fall, all I need is some crunchy salted pumpkin seeds to enjoy the colder fall days.

Here is how I roast mine.

First thing is first, you need a pumpkin. Any pumpkin will do really, they all have some seeds. some have way more than others, and It's hard to tell without cutting them open, I haven't found a reliable method to tracking how many seeds a pumpkin might have.
Rip those seeds out and separate them from the orange pulp as much as possible. You'll still have lots of orange pulp at the next step, but try to get as much as you can off now. I give all the solid chunks of pulp and stuff to my chickens.

To the sink! I drop all my seeds right into the sink. I put some kind of strainer there so that the majority of the pulp doesn't fall down the drain. Fill the sink about halfway, and then start "washing" the seeds with your hands. This will separate a lot of the pulp away from the seeds, and the pulp will sink to the bottom. strain the good seeds off the top of the water. You'll still have some pulp, but that's okay. Place the seeds into a pot, and about 3/4 or 1/2 cup of water and two to four tablespoons of salt, depending on how salty you like stuff. I use two tbsp. and add a little at roasting. Then put the pan on the stove-top and turn to medium heat.

You will want to boil off almost all the water, but don't burn the seeds. just get most of the water out before we put them on the pans.

Add any more salt or seasoning to the seeds once you lay them on the pan. I like to occasionally use old bay seasoning, or a garlic salt. anything works really.

Put the pans into the oven at about 200 degrees and set a timer for every 5 to 10 minutes. Turn over and sift the seeds every 5 or 10 minutes until they are dry. Taste test a few after 30 minutes to see how close to done they are.

Once they are fully dry, the seeds can be vacuum sealed or just put into tupperware, or bags and frozen for long-term storage.

Pumpkin seeds are a wonderful and healthy fall treat. Enjoy!