How To Roast Seeds After A Pumpkin Patch Visit In Wilton

WILTON, 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 Wilton 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 Wilton:

• Warrup's Farm, 11 John Read Road, Redding. "Join us weekends in October for pick-your-own pumpkins as we celebrate the harvest. Visit facebook for the latest updates."
• Silverman's Farm, 451 Sport Hill Road, Easton. Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. "Residents from the tri-state area have been coming to the farm for many years to win a free pumpkin! Before purchase, every customer may guess the weight of each pumpkin before being brought to the scale. If the guess is within 2 oz. either way, the pumpkin is free regardless of size. We give away thousands of free pumpkins each year!"
• Harris Hill Farm, 106 Ridge Road, New Milford. Open weekends in October to the public. The much-loved trivia contests have been canceled this season, but the farm is offering free walks through the cornfields in addition to their traditional pick-your-own pumpkin activity.
• Jones Family Farms, 606 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Shelton. Weekend pumpkin picking tarts Sept. 26; reservations required. Weekday visits start Sept. 28; reservations required.
• Outhouse Orchards, 139 Hardscrabble Road, North Salem, NY. Weekdays the orchards are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and drop-ins are welcome, but it's a different policy for weekends and holidays. To "better control the large volume of visitors to the farm to ensure social distancing is maintained and CDC procedures are followed" the farm has implemented a reservation policy. You can book your weekend pumpkin-picking time online here.
• Castle Hill Farm, 25 Sugar Lane, Newtown. Maze and pumpkin picking starts Sept. 26: "As things will run by reservation only this year, which is a change for us all, please be patient as we finalize all details. Subscribe to our newsletter and we will update you as soon as we have things set in place. Thank you!"

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.