Pumpkin Seeds

[Aubie Stout]

Every year for Halloween, my wife and kids carve pumpkins. I reserve the seeds to roast them. It's easy, something fun to do with the kids, and they are excellent.

Reserve seeds and remove pulp. Easiest way I have found it to put them in a colander and run water over them.

Coat the clean seeds with a little olive oil and coat with your choice of seasonings. Garlic salt, pepper, plain salt, etc, etc, etc. Our favorite is Bad Byron's Butt Rub which is chipotle, salt, and pepper.

Roast the seeds @ 250 for about an hour (they brown). You need to turn or stir the seeds about every 20mins.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

For something a little different, this recipe is pretty awesome:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Caramelized-Spicy-Pumpkin-Seeds/Detail.aspx

 

[SOB]

Saturday afternoon SWMBO and I had her family over to carve pumpkins. Not only have they never carved pumpkins before (they are from the Philippines) but they have never had pumpkin seeds. Whipped up a batch while carving, seasoned them with some Lawry's and baked 'til crispy all the way through. They were a big hit! In fact they want to go buy a pumpkin just for the seeds!

 

[WIP]

I just use Johnny's Seasoning salt and a oil coated cookie sheet. I cook them until they are almost burnt, they eat better that way and SWMBO won't eat them because they are "overcooked".

 

[jgln]

Love pumpkin seeds but just can't get down opening the shell without it breaking up or getting stuck in the shell. Half the time I wind up eating it shell and all. GF cracks them with her front teeth perfectly popping just the inside in her mouth, the shell is in two full pieces.

 

[SOB]

I have always ate them shell and all. Honestly, I didnt realize there was a shell (never really thought about it) until Saturday when my brother in law was cracking them open and eating just the seed. I dont see what the point is...what's wrong with the shell?

 

[IrregularPulse]

Swmbo decided to make some Saturday and use cinnamon and sugar and baked them. SHe liked them. I don't like pumpkin seeds.

 

[Homercidal]

I made a batch this year and just salted them. They were good, but I ended up eating most of them shell and all. They were so crispy that you couldn't tell the difference. The shells are good for your digestion anyway. They went nice with a brown ale.

 

[jgln]

I have always ate them shell and all. Honestly, I didnt realize there was a shell (never really thought about it) until Saturday when my brother in law was cracking them open and eating just the seed. I dont see what the point is...what's wrong with the shell?

Unlike sunflower seeds you CAN eat them but I bet any proctologist would recommend you do not. They can get stuck in the digestive track and cause problems including pain and swelling. Some people get really ill. I know several people who have had this and it is not an age thing. Some people may never get it some will.

 

[jgln]

I made a batch this year and just salted them. They were good, but I ended up eating most of them shell and all. They were so crispy that you couldn't tell the difference. The shells are good for your digestion anyway. They went nice with a brown ale.

Really? Do you have a link saying they are? I would be interested to read about that since all I have heard is the opposite.

 

[Homercidal]

Really? Do you have a link saying they are? I would be interested to read about that since all I have heard is the opposite.

No, I don't. I'd be interested in hearing about any ill effects though.

I know Alton Brown has made some energy bars using whole sunflower seeds though.

 

[Homercidal]

All I could find was this:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Nutrition-Dieting-939/Pumpkin-seed-shells.htm

I would guess that unless you ate a LOT of them, and didn't chew them up real good they would not be harmful. I can see that a lot of large pieces might potentially cause a problem. The ones I was eating were chewed up into very tiny pieces by my teeth.

 

[jgln]

All I could find was this:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Nutrition-Dieting-939/Pumpkin-seed-shells.htm

I would guess that unless you ate a LOT of them, and didn't chew them up real good they would not be harmful. I can see that a lot of large pieces might potentially cause a problem. The ones I was eating were chewed up into very tiny pieces by my teeth.

I was having trouble too, a lot of conflicting information, but here is what I found. I guess maybe for some people it complicates matters, maybe other not, I just know people who had problems were told to stop eating seeds pretty much forever. Now, I am guessing if you can peel the hard shell off the inside is ok for them but their doctor told them all seeds. Maybe if you are a candidate for this problem or also have a poor diet it becomes a problem too.

Until recently, many doctors suggested avoiding foods with small seeds such as tomatoes or strawberries because they believed that particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation. However, it is now generally accepted that only foods that may irritate or get caught in the diverticula cause problems.
Foods such as nuts, popcorn hulls, and sunflower, pumpkin, caraway, and sesame seeds should be avoided. The seeds in tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, strawberries, and raspberries, as well as poppy seeds, are generally considered harmless.

Sorry for the cut/paste but I alreay closed the window.


Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis
Many people have small pouches in their colon that bulge outward through weak spots, like an inner tube that pokes through weak places in a tire. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. Pouches (plural) are called diverticula. The condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis. About 10 percent of Americans over the age of 40 have diverticulosis. The condition becomes more common as people age. About half of people over the age of 60 have diverticulosis. When the pouches become infected or inflamed, it is called diverticulitis. This can happen in about 20 % of people with diverticulosis.
Diverticulosis Symptoms
Most people with diverticulosis do not have any discomfort or symptoms. However, symptoms may include mild cramps, bloating, and constipation. Other diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stomach ulcers cause similar problems, so these symptoms do not always mean a person has diverticulosis. You should visit your doctor if you have these symptoms.
Diverticulitis Symptoms
The most common symptom of diverticulitis is abdominal pain. If infection is the cause, fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, cramping, and constipation may occur as well.
What causes Diverticulosis?
Although not proven, the dominant theory is that a low-fiber diet is the main cause of diverticular disease. The disease was first noticed in the United States in the early 1900s. At about the same time, processed foods were introduced into the American diet. Many processed foods contain refined, low-fiber flour. Unlike whole-wheat flour, refined flour has no wheat bran.
Diverticular disease is common in developed or industrialized countries—particularly the United States, England, and Australia—where low-fiber diets are common. The disease is rare in countries of Asia and Africa, where people eat high-fiber vegetable diets.
Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that the body cannot digest. Some fiber dissolves easily in water (soluble fiber). It takes on a soft, jelly-like texture in the intestines. Some fiber passes almost unchanged through the intestines (insoluble fiber). Both kinds of fiber help make stools soft and easy to pass. Fiber also prevents constipation.
Constipation makes the muscles strain to move stool that is too hard. It is the main cause of increased pressure in the colon. This excess pressure might cause the weak spots in the colon to bulge out and become diverticula. Diverticulitis occurs when diverticula become infected or inflamed. Doctors are not certain what causes the infection. It may begin when stool or bacteria are caught in the diverticula. An attack of diverticulitis can develop suddenly without warning.
How is Diverticulosis or Diverticulitis diagnosed?
To diagnose diverticular disease, the doctor asks about medical history, does a physical exam, and may perform one or more diagnostic tests. Because most people do not have symptoms, diverticulosis is often found through tests ordered for another ailment.
When taking a medical history, the doctor may ask about bowel habits, symptoms, pain, diet, and medications. The physical exam usually involves a digital rectal exam. To perform this test, the doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to detect tenderness, blockage, or blood. The doctor may check stool for signs of bleeding and test blood for signs of infection. The doctor may also order x rays or other tests.
What is the treatment for Diverticulosis or Diverticulitis?
A high-fiber diet and, occasionally, mild pain medications will help relieve symptoms in most cases. Sometimes an attack of diverticulitis is serious enough to require a liquid diet, antibiotics, a possible hospital stay and/or possibly surgery.
Diverticulosis
Increasing the amount of fiber in the diet may reduce symptoms of diverticulosis and prevent complications such as diverticulitis. Fiber keeps stool soft and lowers pressure inside the colon so that bowel contents can move through easily. More than 25 grams of fiber is recommended daily. The doctor may also recommend taking a fiber product such as Citrucel or Metamucil once a day. These products are mixed with water and provide about 2 to 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon, mixed with 8 ounces of water.
Until recently, many doctors suggested avoiding foods with small seeds such as tomatoes or strawberries because they believed that particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation. However, it is now generally accepted that only foods that may irritate or get caught in the diverticula cause problems.
Foods such as nuts, popcorn hulls, and sunflower, pumpkin, caraway, and sesame seeds should be avoided. The seeds in tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, strawberries, and raspberries, as well as poppy seeds, are generally considered harmless.
People differ in the amounts and types of foods they can eat. Decisions about diet should be made based on what works best for each person. Keeping a food diary may help identify individual items in one's diet.
Diverticulitis
Treatment for diverticulitis focuses on clearing up the infection and inflammation, resting the colon, and preventing or minimizing complications. An attack of diverticulitis without complications may respond to antibiotics within a few days if treated early. To help the colon rest, the doctor may recommend bed rest and a liquid diet, along with a pain reliever. An acute attack with severe pain or severe infection may require a hospital stay. Most acute cases of diverticulitis are treated with antibiotics and a liquid diet. The antibiotics are given by injection into a vein. In some cases, however, surgery may be necessary.

 

[Homercidal]

I see. I have found a few posts which claim that modest amounts of shells would be beneficial as a source of fiber, but too much could be trouble. I can't imagine eating that many. I tired about about a cup or so.

But it had been quoted as being recommended for people to help clean their intestines, because they don't digest.

 

[SOB]

Interesting...I've been eating pumpkin seeds for as long as I can remember. It always went right along with the yearly pumpkin carving tradition so I dont know if my parents did it when they were young too but we have always ate them shell and all with no problems...

 

[IrregularPulse]

I never realized there was a shell either. Thats why i don't like them, the feeling like chewing a sunflower seed shell!