Not just good for snacking What you can do with pumpkin seeds
Fall is pumpkin season again. While the flesh is used for soups or cakes, the seeds usually end up in the bin. But that doesn't have to be the case. Five ideas on how to reuse pumpkin seeds.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Pumpkin seeds can be dried and enjoyed as a healthy snack or topping for salads, soups or muesli.
- But they are also suitable for much more: for example, for handicrafts with children.
- Pumpkin seeds can also be used for a homemade body scrub.
Autumn tastes of mushrooms, chestnuts, spaetzli, cider - and pumpkin. As the days slowly get shorter, Hokkaido or butternut pumpkins are back in action, used in soups, cakes, pasta dishes or other creative ways in the kitchen.
At the end of the month, ornamental versions grin from the porches of many houses, hollowed out and filled with candlelight. Those who celebrate Halloween have their children carve faces into pumpkins.
The orange fall companion is therefore a versatile contemporary. But while the flesh is used up completely, its seeds usually just end up in the bin. Although they can also be used in the kitchen and are not only tasty as a topping in salads.
Drying pumpkin seeds - here's how:
- Cleanly deseed the pumpkin.
- Remove the fibers from the seeds.
- Then rinse and leave to dry. This can be done in the oven or in a dehydrator, for example, or simply in the air at room temperature (can take a few days).
But pumpkin seeds are not only suitable for eating, they can also be used in many other ways. blue News has collected a few ideas:
For handicrafts
If you have children at home, you can make them happy with pumpkin seeds. The small stones can also be used for handicrafts. Your creativity is required here, but you can find various ideas on the Internet on how to use the pumpkin seeds in inventive ways when creating with the little ones.
As can be seen on the Polish blog "Dzieciaki w domu", for example, the seeds can be painted to create the leaves of a tree. But you can also make them rain from a cloud or turn them into fish scales. Be inventive.
As bird food
In fall and winter, the balcony or garden is a hive of activity. Birds drop by and if you have set up a little house for the animals, you can enjoy even more peeps.
Pumpkin seeds are not only tasty for people to eat, but birds also like to taste them. According to the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), pumpkin seeds are safe to use as bird food.
If you want to feed your seeds to your fluttering visitors, you should note the following: It's best to peel the small stones so that they can get to the seeds more easily, as the birds might otherwise struggle with them.
Special bird food is available in shops that can be used to enrich the seeds. It is generally recommended to put the food in a feeder so that the birds cannot walk around on it and leave droppings behind.
As a healthy snack
If you want to eat pumpkin seeds, you may ask yourself the question: Can you eat all types without worrying? If they come from edible pumpkins, then yes, but if it is an ornamental pumpkin, then it is better to keep your hands off the seeds.
Soaked pumpkin seeds keep for a long time and are good as a topping for salads, soups or even in muesli. If you want to roast the seeds, you can do this in a pan without oil. Wait until they are lightly browned. Then season.
Another option is to roast the seeds in the oven at 170 to 180 degrees for around ten minutes. It is worth coating them with oil and salt beforehand.
The seeds then make a good healthy snack, but are also tasty in other dishes. There are countless recipes, such as pumpkin seed pesto, granola or as breadcrumbs.
Body scrub
Scrubs help skin cells to regenerate more quickly, improve blood circulation and remove dead skin cells. An application in between is therefore not harmful, but rather pleasing to the skin.
Pumpkin seeds are an easy way to make a natural body scrub. To do this, put the seeds in a blender and chop them up. Then mix with olive oil, apply to the skin and rub in - voilà, smooth skin ahead!
Seed pillow
The same principle as with cherry stone cushions: Pumpkin seeds can also store heat and then be used in the form of a cushion as a natural heat therapy. This is great for relieving pain and tension in the neck or back.
If you want to implement this idea, you will need a quantity of pumpkin seeds, depending on the size you want. Simply put the dried stones in a pillowcase, put the whole thing in the microwave for one to two minutes at medium power and then place it on your skin to benefit from the heat.
