Happy Halloween and Yummy Pumpkin Seeds

 Yet another one of those fabulous American holidays- Halloween! After all the farm visits and pumpkin patches you can rest assured we had enough pumpkins for carving, cooking etc, etc. This year we decided to try one of them new fancy patterned pumpkin carvings. The result, in my opinion, cute but a little boring. Next year we will make a traditional jack-o-lantern.

The best part about carving pumpkins is the seeds! It's alot of work, but well worth the effort to remove, clean, dry and roast these little gems.

I put the kids on sorting seeds from "anything orange", they managed to extract about 4-5 seeds each, then got tired of it. So, it was all on me.
So, extract seeds and separate from all things orange. I find that it is easier in a bowl of cold water. Then pour into a colander, and rinse really well. They will continue to feel slippery, that's ok, and will first disappear when you dry them.
Let them sit in the colander to dry, then take a hair dryer to them, stirring with your hand constantly, until mostly dry. The next step depends much on personal preference, but I am sharing our family favorite.
Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter, mix in about 2 tsp salt. Mix the seeds in the butter until coated, then pull them out with a slotted spoon, onto an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet. Roast in the oven at 275 degrees for about 30 minutes. Do keep a close eye on them, and stir every 5-10 minutes. Pull out of the oven when they are a deep golden brown and fill your home with a wonderful aroma!
Serve warm for greatest joy :)