How To Roast Seeds After A Pumpkin Patch Visit In Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC — 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 Charlotte 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.

• Greater Life Pumpkin Patch, 17025 Lancaster HWY, Charlotte
• St. Luke's Pumpkin Patch, 52 16th Avenue NW, Hickory
• The Hunter Farm, 13624 Providence Road, Weddington, NC
• Davidson United Methodist Church, 233 South Main Street, Davidson, (704) 892-8277
• Boy Scout Troop 323 Pumpkin Patch, 17029 Kenton Drive, Cornelius
• Carrigan Farms, LLC, 1261 Oak Ridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, (704) 664-1450.
• Patterson Farm, 3060 Millbridge Road, China Grove, NC, (704) 857-5242

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.