Separating Pumpkin Seeds From Pulp Is Easy With One Quick Method

If there's one thing that Halloween guarantees, it's a glut of pumpkins. While most of them will inevitably end up as a sad, mushy, rained-upon mess on somebody's front porch, we really should be eating them. Halloween also coincides with peak season for pumpkins (and many of their fellow gourds), so there's even more reason to enjoy them while they're at their best. Pumpkins are awfully versatile. You can eat pretty much every part of them, but separating out those delicious seeds from that equally delicious flesh can be a bit of a hassle. Not anymore – a simple trick will save you time and messy fingers.

Simply hollow out your pumpkin and place its innards in a bowl of water. The seeds are naturally buoyant and will float up to the top while the more weighty pumpkin flesh will sink to the base of the bowl. It's easy to pick the flesh out and leave those seeds behind. Give the seeds a good rinse in a strainer to separate any straggling bits of flesh. Then, just place everything on some paper towels (or in a salad spinner) to drain, and presto, the easiest pumpkin prep ever.

If there's one thing that's certain, you shouldn't be throwing all of that pumpkin away. Keeping the seeds makes sense — you can use them in just about anything from a delicious granola to topping a salad. Just be sure to bake them first. To do that, spread them out on a baking sheet and place them in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around 45 minutes, which will ensure they're properly dried out without burning them.

That flesh is also a versatile and delicious ingredient, even when it's all torn up after you scrape it out of the pumpkin. Get it in a food processor and give it a good whizz until you get a nice, smooth puree. If you want to ensure your pumpkin puree is perfectly smooth, you can pass it through a fine-mesh strainer using a spatula or wooden spoon. Once you've got that puree, the world is your oyster. You could make some delicious homemade pumpkin bread, an autumnal pumpkin pie that just might hold a candle to Costco's, or even a pumpkin espresso martini!