Time To Roast Seeds After A Pumpkin Patch Visit In Danbury

DANBURY, CT — If you are going to venture out into a pumpkin patch this Halloween season, make sure you return with more to show for your adventure than just some gourds. Find yourself some fine carving pumpkins, and be prepared to dig in.

After you cut out a scary enough face, make sure you don't toss out the seeds. Instead, turn them into a delicious snack.

First, pick up a pumpkin from the local pumpkin patch.

Below is a list of some of our favorite pumpkin patches near Danbury:

• Warrup's Farm, 11 John Read Road, Redding. "Join us weekends in October for pick-your-own pumpkins as we celebrate the harvest. Visit Facebook for the latest updates."
• Outhouse Orchards, 139 Hardscrabble Road, North Salem, NY. Weekdays the orchards are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and drop-ins are welcome, but it's a different policy for weekends and holidays. To "better control the large volume of visitors to the farm to ensure social distancing is maintained and CDC procedures are followed" the farm has implemented a reservation policy. You can book your weekend pumpkin-picking time online here.
• Harris Hill Farm, 106 Ridge Road, New Milford. Open weekends in October to the public. The much-loved trivia contests have been canceled this season, but the farm is offering free walks through the cornfields in addition to their traditional pick-your-own pumpkin activity.
• Castle Hill Farm, 25 Sugar Lane, Newtown. Maze & pumpkin picking starts Sept. 26: "As things will run by reservation only this year, which is a change for us all, please be patient as we finalize all details. Subscribe to our newsletter and we will update you as soon as we have things set in place. Thank you!"
• Jones Family Farms, 606 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Shelton. Weekend pumpkin picking tarts Sept. 26; reservations required. Weekday visits start Sept. 28; reservations required.
• Silverman's Farm, 451 Sport Hill Road, Easton. Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. "Residents from the tri-state area have been coming to the farm for many years to win a free pumpkin! Before purchase, every customer may guess the weight of each pumpkin before being brought to the scale. If the guess is within 2 oz. either way, the pumpkin is free regardless of size. We give away thousands of free pumpkins each year!"
• Blue Jay Orchards, 125 Plumtrees Road, Bethel. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday; Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pick-your-own ends at 4:30 p.m.

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 recipe for baking seeds:

Separate the seeds in a bowl as you clean each pumpkin. 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 kosher salt to taste. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Let cool and enjoy. Seal leftovers in an airtight plastic container.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

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.