Special episode: Pumpkin

Though I haven't yet finished the Better Homes & Gardens Appetizer section yet, I had to do a special post for the pumpkins that we carved yesterday.

We went pumpkin picking with friends, and while we were carving them we saved almost everything from the inside of the pumpkin for use in other things.

First, there were the innards - the soft, gushy stuff inside the pumpkin walls. We saved that to puree for Zelda, our bunny, because she's a big fan of the 100% pure pureed pumpkin pie filling that comes in cans.

I saved the innards in a bowl overnight, then pureed it in a blender.

Four pumpkins' worth made a lot of liquid, which I saved for the coming week. I wasn't sure if Zelda would like it, but she ate some when I gave it to her earlier today. I mixed it with some hay powder and she appeared to enjoy it.

Then, of course, I roasted the seeds for a tasty appetizer / snack.


I saved the pumpkin seeds - over five cups of them - overnight in a separate bowl.


Then, I mixed them with melted butter, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.


Finally, I roasted them for about an hour until they were nice and crispy. I got the recipe from a Halloween-themed magazine I bought at the super market. I sampled a few this afternoon, and they were delicious.

It was nice to use the whole pumpkin - usually we end up throwing out all the gooey, stringy innards, but this year we'll try to get the bunnies to eat them. Just trying to do my part to save money - and avoid landfill waste - in these rough times!