Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

ages 2-6

Supplies

Pumpkin, sauce pan, baking sheet, olive oil, seasonings

Activity Detail

Continue Halloween fun in the kitchen by toasting pumpkin seeds with your preschooler! They love sorting through the pulp to dig out seeds. Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds. 2. In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a tablespoon of salt for every cup of water. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. 3. Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer. Bake on the top rack for 20 minutes or until the seeds begin to brown. When browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. Let the seeds cool all the way down before eating. Either crack to remove the inner seed (a lot of work and, in my opinion, unnecessary) or eat whole.