Pumpkins are a healthy food source and a popular fall decoration. While making your Halloween jack-o-lantern, be sure to save the pumpkin seeds—toast them for a crunchy, high-fiber snack. Pumpkins seeds are nutritious and can be dressed up with a variety of spices, herbs, oils, juices, and sauces.

Pumpkins are from the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes such edible gourds as squash, zucchini, and cucumber. Native to the Americas, pumpkins were a staple in the Native American Indian diet. The Indians even wove sections of pounded and dried pumpkin strips into mats. Europeans began cultivating pumpkins and other gourds in the 1500s. The Colonists adopted the pumpkin into their diet, using it as a savory ingredient during harvest feasts and to make beer. Eventually, the pumpkin became a mainstay of the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

Irish immigrants are credited with bringing the jack-o-lantern to the United States. Legend has it that the Irish and Scottish peoples would carve turnips, place a candle inside, and set on porches on All Hallow's Eve to ward off evil spirits. Pumpkins were in abundance and much cheaper than turnips in the US during peak immigration periods, so thus the switch to using pumpkins for the carvings.

~The record for most carved and lit pumpkins in one place is 30,128, held by Boston, Massachusetts.

Pumpkin seeds are called "pepitas" in In Latin America. Eating pepitas dates to the reign of the Aztecs. Pepitas can be hulled or unhulled and are commonly eaten toasted with salt or ground and used as thickeners in mole sauces.

~Cut the top off of a pumpkin and scoop out the flesh and seeds
~Separate the seeds from the flesh and strings
~Spread seeds on a cookie sheet and let dry overnight (do not wash seeds), uncovered

Cooking the Seeds

Pumpkin seeds can be cooked in an oven, on the stovetop, or in a microwave oven.

~Sprinkle pumpkin seeds with salt and toast in a 300 degree oven until completely dried.
~Place pumpkin seeds in a skillet; over medium heat on stovetop, toast seeds in skillet until dried, colored, and fragrant.

~Spread pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet, toss with a little vegetable oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast in a 350 degree oven until crisp and dry.

~Toss pumpkin seeds with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and salt. Place in a microwave safe dish and cook on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Cook in 1 minute intervals, stirring each time until crisp and dry.

~Store toasted pumpkin seeds in an air tight container or zip lock plastic bag. Seeds cooked with oil will become rancid quickly; eat within 1-2 days.