How To Roast Seeds After A Pumpkin Patch Visit In Milford

MILFORD, CT — The holidays, including Halloween, will look very different this year thanks to the coronavirus. However, some quintessential fall activities such as visiting pumpkin patches near Milford and carving jack-o'-lanterns will stay the same.

In 2020, more people are cooking at home and trying to maximize every penny spent. Here's a simple way to keep that up: Don't toss out those pumpkin seeds. Instead, turn them into a delicious snack.

First, pick up a pumpkin from the local pumpkin patch.

Below is a list of some of our favorite pumpkin patches near Milford:

• Filanowski Farms at 389 Wheelers Farms Road in Milford. "Our pumpkin patch is bountiful from the harvest and ready for your pickin's." They are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
• Robert Treat Farm at 1339 New Haven Ave. in Milford. They are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Jones Family Farms at 120 Beardsley Road in Shelton. Pumpkin season will begin September 26, open daily. Pumpkin season is located at Pumpkinseed Hill at 120 Beardsley Road in Shelton. The farm's preview weekend is the last weekend in September and the season runs daily through Halloween. Guests can visit the farm from 10am to 5:30pm.
• Treat Farm at 361 Old Tavern Road. According to their website, "Come fall time, the farm comes alive with holiday decorations grown on site. Pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks and mums are available in many different varieties to make sure we get you what you need for decorating in Autumn."The Famous Corn Maze: Treat Farm has been creating unique corn mazes each year that bring out the kid in all of us. A visit after Labor Day isn't complete until you tackle our 5 acre maze. You can make it even more challenging if you would like by trying one of our nightime flashlight mazes." Read More here.
• Sunflower Farm of Orange at 767 Derby Milford Road. They are open 12-5 Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekends.
• B & B Flower Farm at 668 Jones Hill Rd, West Haven. Monday-Thursday: 12 PM-8PMFriday-Sunday: 12 PM-9PM.

After you gut the pumpkin for carving, keep the seeds in a bag until you are ready to roast them. Pumpkin seeds are loaded with potassium, packed with fiber and protein, and are the perfect snack to serve your little ghosts and goblins.

Here's our favorite recipe for baking seeds:

Separate the seeds in a bowl as you clean each pumpkin. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Rinse the seeds in cold water and strain. Pat seeds dry with a paper towel. In a bowl, toss the seeds in just enough olive oil to coat.

Spray an edged baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread seeds in a single layer. Season seeds with kosher salt to taste. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy. Seal leftovers in an airtight plastic container.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

Make Your Jack-O'-Lanterns Last

When you carve that perfect pumpkin, you can plan on it lasting up to 10 days before it starts to show signs of aging. However, if you want to make it last longer, you can mix three teaspoons of bleach with 3 gallons of water and spray the solution throughout, according to Clorox.