Our cozy corner of Crozet is festive as ever with all things fall, including ready-picked and pick-your-own pumpkins.

Whether you enjoy using pumpkins for crafting spooky jack-o-lanterns, baking seasonal desserts, or simply sprucing up your outdoor decor, there are plenty of ways to use the fruit’s hearty exterior. However you choose to enjoy pumpkins this year, don’t miss out on the crunchy goodness inside!

With their inherently salty taste, roasted pumpkin seeds are a tasty grab-and-go snack. Plus, they pack a healthy punch with loads of valuable nutrients. Even better, roasting pumpkin seeds reduces waste by transforming the often-discarded seeds into a versatile nibble, salad fixing, or soup topper!

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin

Pumpkin picking is one of our favorite fall activities. It’s hard not to smile while walking to-and-fro in the pumpkin patch to find the most perfect pumpkin. After going to such lengths to choose the pumpkin, why not make the most of it?

Have no fear—the quest for edible pumpkin seeds won’t limit your pumpkin picking options. Both carving pumpkins and pie pumpkins have plenty of seeds just waiting to be turned into something delicious. No matter what type of pumpkin is calling your name, you’ll be able to roast its seeds.

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

Roasting pumpkin seeds is accessible to cooks of all skill levels. In fact, all you have to do is pay attention to three important factors: heating, cleaning, and cooling. 

• Roast at a low temperature. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes to dry out your pumpkin seeds without burning them.
• Clean the pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin guts may be edible, but they’ll keep your seeds from becoming nice and crisp while roasting. Remove as much of the pumpkin flesh as possible and let them dry before putting your soon-to-be snack in the oven!
• Use parchment paper. No one wants burnt, soggy, or rubbery pumpkin seeds. Luckily, parchment paper is here to the rescue! Parchment paper ensures that your pumpkin seeds come out just right.
• Let the seeds cool. Have you ever pulled cookies out of the oven and thought that they were too soft, only to have them cool to the perfect consistency? The same goes for pumpkin seeds! Trust the process and pull your seeds from the oven after 40 minutes—they’ll harden as they cool down.

Adding Finger-licking Seasonings

Dill Pickle Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Are you a real pickle-lover if you haven’t tried dill pickle roasted pumpkin seeds? This seasoning recipe from Wholefully turns pumpkin seeds into a crispy version of your favorite pickle. 

Cinnamon Toast Pumpkin Seeds

We get it: pumpkin carving brings candy top-of-mind. To satisfy your sweet cravings without dipping into the trick-or-treating stash, bake a batch of AllRecipe’s cinnamon toast pumpkin seeds!

Garlic Parmesan Pumpkin Seeds

Ah, garlic and parmesan: a pair as old as time. If you’re obsessed with a certain restaurant chain’s unlimited breadsticks (you know the one), then we’ve got you covered. Indulge in your favorite garlic bread flavor with these Delish garlic parmesan pumpkin seeds.

Sriracha-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Crunchy, spicy, and made from one of the world’s favorite condiments. That’s right, we’re talking about Food & Wine’s sriracha-roasted pumpkin seeds. This seasoning is the go-to for anyone who loves a nice flavor kick.

Pizza Pumpkin Seeds

Need we say more? Food Network has made all of our snack dreams come true with these savory pumpkin seeds, dressed for success in a balanced mix of garlic, parmesan, and tomato paste.

Are you hungry yet? C’mon out to our Crozet orchard to pick pumpkins for your own batch of roasted pumpkin seeds! Pumpkin availability can be found on our pick-your-own fruit page.

Sweet and hearty, pumpkin soup is a flavorful start to a harvest meal or a full meal all on its own. Mix it up in the kitchen with these different takes on pumpkin soup.

Fresh Versus Canned Pumpkin Puree

For more information on pumpkin puree, including color, taste, and texture comparisons for fresh and canned, read this Fresh Versus Canned Pumpkins article from Handle the Heat.

Pumpkin Soup Recipes

Whether you like it sweet or spicy, vegan or brimming with meat, there’s a pumpkin soup recipe that’s perfect for you.

Soup Toppers

Don’t forget a festive and flavorful final touch!

Finish pumpkin soups with a cool, creamy swirl of crème fraîche, sour cream, coconut milk, or even chipotle cream. The contrast of the white swirl against the soup’s deep orange color is beautiful as well as delicious.

For added texture, try crunchy toppings. Roasted pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are a natural tie-in. Maple bacon bits add a meaty, salty component: plus, who doesn’t love bacon? We also love the idea of this chili cran-apple relish or parmesan croutons.

Garnish with ingredients from the recipe to help show people what’s in the soup. Blend roasted apples, carrots, leeks, or mushrooms into the soup for added depth of flavor and then top the mixture with finely cut slivers of whichever vegetable you used. If you added herbs to the soup—rosemary, chives, and sage pair particularly well with pumpkin—chop and sprinkle some on top.

Can’t get enough pumpkins? Learn more about pumpkins and pumpkin picking at Chiles on our Pumpkins FAQs.

When cooking from scratch, fresh is best. Pumpkin puree is an essential ingredient in pumpkin pasta sauce, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, and other seasonal recipes. Follow these instructions to make your own homemade pumpkin puree.

Ingredients and Tools

• Pumpkin
• Salt, if desired
• Chef’s knife
• Spoon, preferably grapefruit spoon
• Aluminum foil

And that’s it! Simple, delicious, and healthy.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Cover cooking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

On another surface (outside usually is best—it’s a messy process!), use a sharp knife to remove the pumpkin stem.

Cut the pumpkin in half, stem to base.

Use a spoon—a grapefruit spoon works very well—to scrape out the seeds and pulp.

Cover each pumpkin half with foil and place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven, foil side up, 1-1.5 hours, depending on size of pumpkin, or until tender.

Scrape the pumpkin meat from shell halves with spoon and puree in a blender. Strain to remove any remaining stringy pieces. Add a pinch of salt, if desired.

If you are not using the pumpkin puree immediately, store in the freezer in freezer safe bags.

Looking for ideas on how to use homemade pumpkin puree? We love our cream cheese pumpkin bread recipe.