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Pumpkin Carving for Halloween
Thursday, February 26, 2004
You have to admit, nothing better signifies Halloween than a glowing Jack-O-Lantern! I mean, you see one and instantly think of Halloween, right? And you can never carve just one! We carve a dozen or more in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some stay in the house, some go on the porch and some are scattered through our yard haunt. We found some interesting ideas for carving at Pumpkin Carving 101. You'll also find interesting info at The Pumpkin Patch.
Of course, you have to roast up some pumpkin seeds as well, that taste brings back all kinds of great childhood memories for me. It's simple to do. Here's the recipe that we've used for years. We like to go to a local pumpkin farm to pick out our pumpkins, it's more fun than getting them at the grocery store but if that's all you can get, get them there. Cut the pumpkin open and gut it, set it aside for carving.
We never wash our seeds first although some people do. Washing them removes some of the source of the natural flavor. Instead, we remove the seeds from the strings and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. The less they lay on each other, the better they can bake so try and make a nice even layer.
Add salt or seasoned salt to taste and bake at 250° until dry, stirring occasionally. We bake ours for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the start to turn a very light gold.
We set bowls of these around for parties so they never last long but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
There are some good recipes for using pumpkin at Wanda's Halloween Kitchen. You can find baking pumpkins at the grocery store, they are small and have a smooth skin on them. We like to cook up a pumpkin pie from scratch when these are available, it tastes so much better than a frozen pie or one that's made from canned pumpkin!
Of course, you have to roast up some pumpkin seeds as well, that taste brings back all kinds of great childhood memories for me. It's simple to do. Here's the recipe that we've used for years. We like to go to a local pumpkin farm to pick out our pumpkins, it's more fun than getting them at the grocery store but if that's all you can get, get them there. Cut the pumpkin open and gut it, set it aside for carving.
We never wash our seeds first although some people do. Washing them removes some of the source of the natural flavor. Instead, we remove the seeds from the strings and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. The less they lay on each other, the better they can bake so try and make a nice even layer.
Add salt or seasoned salt to taste and bake at 250° until dry, stirring occasionally. We bake ours for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the start to turn a very light gold.
We set bowls of these around for parties so they never last long but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
There are some good recipes for using pumpkin at Wanda's Halloween Kitchen. You can find baking pumpkins at the grocery store, they are small and have a smooth skin on them. We like to cook up a pumpkin pie from scratch when these are available, it tastes so much better than a frozen pie or one that's made from canned pumpkin!
Labels: The Glow of the Jack-O-Lantern
