Though last weeks’ post Interior Design was fun but this week is a different kind of fun!

1. Cut

2. Gut

3. Rinse

4. Dry

Pumpkins are hungry hippos in the garden and need to be watered regularly and well furtilized. They pretty much go against everything I stand for in a lazy gardener’s garden. That being said they can be used in so many different ways that the pros simply out weighed the cons; home decor, pumpkin puree, roasted seeds, they also make an eye catching vase for fall floral arrangements (Who could resist?).

After scoring two different varieties of pumpkin for free at a local nursery I decided it was worth while to welcome them to my garden at least once (though I feel they might volunteer well enough to become a permanent garden fixture if furtilized annually). Surprisingly, I was able to remove the seeds, clean and lay them out to dry in less than ten minutes for both pumpkins.

Now keep in mind you won’t need to use all of the seeds from the pumpkin for your garden so feel free to treat your self and toast up the excess. Locate the largest seeds and set those aside to dry for a few days, try not to over lap them as they will stick together. Once well dried tuck them away until your soil levels hit at least 70 degrees with no chance of frost. 

After you have taken all of the seeds and done with them what you like you can also roast up the pumpkin, make a puree and freeze it until you are ready to make pies or soups. I chose to compost these guys, one caveat: they potentially will volunteer in your compost after a year or two.

Next week’s post Full Steam ahead! will show you some more of the progress happening inside the homestead cabin. Check back in!