Fall is Here (Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe)

Photo Credit Covers by Ramona

We have a couple favorite places to visit each fall.  The first is Baker Apple Orchard.  They have loads of Honeycrisp, Sweet Sixteen, and many other varieties of apples including their own Baker Apple, which is HUGE.  They also have a beautiful trail through the woods and a wonderful gallery full of handmade art and crafts.  The pumpkin below was in the woods along the trail.  It was so perfect I had to stop and photograph it.  They orchard is on an old farm homestead.  I love going inside the house, which is now the gallery, and looking at the beautiful barn, which has been restored.  We have four apple trees in our yard and one flowering crab, but they are not quite ready to produce what we need yet.  Good thing because we always enjoy our visits to Baker's Apple Orchard.

Another favorite spot for a fall visit is Glenna Farms where we can go on a hayride, get pumpkins, or pick up some maple syrup.  This is super close to our house and the owners are wonderful people.  They have so many goodies in their shop and it's a great place to get gifts.  Everyone likes maple syrup, pancakes, homemade jam, and cheese curds!  They can ship out orders for those who do not live in the area.  We should get growing our own pumpkins, but it's super hard to keep the chickens out of garden areas.  They love to peck at everything; especially fruits and veggies.

When we got home from our fall adventures, my daughter got busy carving pumpkins.  As she was throwing the "guts" out, the chickens were all gathered around her trying to get some. They LOVE pumpkins.  We saved the seeds and roasted them in the oven.

Directions for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (I always forget to do this though)

Wash seeds to get the pumpkin guts off

Spread seeds out on paper towels (or flour sack towels to save paper) and pat them to dry

Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a large cookie sheet

Spread seeds on cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt (sometimes I drizzle a bit more olive oil on the top too (I've also heard of people using garlic salt)

Cook for 45-60 minutes, I keep checking them until they are golden (they will be crunchy but not burned)

The seeds were a hit and the entire pan was gone within a couple hours.  YUM!