When it comes to your Halloween pumpkin, there’s so much waste. Once you’ve removed the top, the seeds are generally tossed, and now that Halloween is over, the entire thing goes in the trash or compost.
But what would you say if you were told that the entire thing, from the orange skin to the orange flesh and seeds, were edible? The only thing to throw away is the slimy, stringy pulp inside.
If you live by the mantra, “waste not, want not,” you may find your pumpkin gives you more than you thought possible.
To get started, remove the seeds. That sounds easier said than done, but there’s a simple way to do it. Take the seeds, pulp and all, and drop them in a pan of simmering water. Any loose seeds will float to the top. Remove from heat and when it’s cool enough, use your fingers to gently separate the rest of the pumpkin seeds from the pulp. It’s fine if you don’t get all the pulp off the seeds. Once they are roasted, the stringy fibers will slough off easily.
Now that the seeds are removed, it’s time to start thinking about all things pumpkin, from chips to pies to pudding. It’s the flesh and skin we’re after.