How To Roast Seeds After A Pumpkin Patch Visit Near Palo Alto

PALO ALTO, CA — The holidays, including Halloween, will look very different this year thanks to the coronavirus. However, some quintessential fall activities such as visiting pumpkin patches near you and carving jack-o'-lanterns will stay the same.

In 2020, more people are cooking at home and trying to maximize every penny spent. Here's a simple way to keep that up: Don't toss out those pumpkin seeds. Instead, turn them into a delicious snack.

First, pick up a pumpkin from a local pumpkin patch. It's fun and budget friendly.

Here are some of them:

• Arata Pumpkin Farm 185 Verde Rd., Half Moon Bay
• Farmer John's Pumpkin Farm 850 North Cabrillo Highway, Half Moon Bay
• Joan's Farm and Pumpkin Patch 4351 Mines Road, Livermore

After you gut the pumpkin for carving, keep the seeds in a bag until you are ready to roast them. Pumpkin seeds are loaded with potassium, packed with fiber and protein, and are the perfect snack to serve your little ghosts and goblins.

Here's our favorite Pumpkin Seed Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Rinse the seeds in cold water and strain. Pat seeds dry with a paper towel.

In a bowl, toss the seeds in just enough olive oil to coat.

Spray an edged baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread seeds in a single layer. Season seeds with sea salt to taste.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy. Seal leftovers in an airtight container.

Make Your Jack-O'-Lanterns Last: When you carve that perfect pumpkin, you can plan on it lasting up to 10 days before it starts to show signs of aging. However, if you want to make it last longer, you can mix three teaspoons of bleach with 3 gallons of water and spray the solution throughout, according to Clorox.

— Written by Patch editor Tim Moran, with additional reporting by Gideon Rubin