Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

20181120_182056 In case you hadn’t noticed, I like garlic. A lot. Like if it ever went extinct during my lifetime, I’m not sure that life would be worth living. Yeah, that much.

20181120_182923 (All links open a new page, so you won’t lose your spot when you look around! Get information on gardening and cultural traditions, recipes, stories, and more!)

In fact, I like garlic enough to grow my own in large quantities. I currently have a 13 cup container full of garlic cloves from this year’s garden. It won’t last long. How perfect that I also have a monster sized rosemary bush, and that rosemary and garlic pair together very nicely. Coincidence? I think not.

20181120_113117 When it comes to pumpkin seeds (or any other winter squash), their flavor blends well with a variety of seasonings. After slaughtering several for making this year’s Thanksgiving pies, I had a glut of seeds that were begging to be roasted. They were, just ask them. A little while later I had these crunchy, garlicky seasoned pumpkin seeds and had to fight away everyone else to get them!

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Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp. finely minced garlic
1 Tbsp. finely minced fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

After you gut your pumpkins, clean the seeds from the pulp. I find the easiest way is to pinch the seeds from the strings and then rinse them in a colander. Drain the seeds and blot them dry, then put them in a roasting pan. Make sure the pan is large enough for the seeds to be in a single layer. Sprinkle them with the salt and preheat the oven to 400° F.

Prepare the remaining ingredients and put them in a small pot on the stove. Set the heat to high, stirring frequently until the garlic is just starting to sizzle. Pour the hot mixture over the seeds and stir to mix together. Place the pan in the oven.

20181120_183138 Roast for 5 minutes at a time, stirring in between, until the garlic and the seeds have turned golden brown, no moisture remains, and the mixture is sizzling. Be careful not to over bake, they will continue to cook after they are removed from the oven. Let cool before eating. They will taste best if allowed to sit for at least a couple of hours. Store in an airtight container, if any remain around long enough!