I love to carve a jack-o-lantern every Halloween, though the thought of throwing the pumpkin into the compost later, seems very wasteful. Roasting the pumpkin seeds makes a great seasonal treat and also reduces my feelings of waste. Here are a couple of options for roasting the seeds.

1) slow-roasted with a little salt and butter.  Collect and wash the pumpkin seeds. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter (or less) and a dash of salt (to taste). Pour over pumpkin seeds slowly, mixing as you go. Preheat oven to 25oF. Spread the pumpkin seeds over a baking pan and bake, turning occasionally, until crisp and lightly golden brown – 45 minutes or less. Don’t overcook, as this makes the seeds tough and they lose flavor.

2) same as above, but sprinkle the seeds with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, Mexican style chili lime seasoning, Italian seasoning or other herbs, Parmesan any other spice you like.

3) slight variation to number one – wash the seeds, then soak them overnight in water with 1 tablespoon of salt. Slow roast in oven at 250F till crisp and lightly golden brown – 45 minutes or less.

4) swap the butter from item 1, with cooking oil or olive oil. Use 1-2 tablespoons of oil – less oil is better.