Successful Harvest

The 2019 sowing of Kakai seed pumpkins produced only pedestrian pumpkin seeds - cursed by a tough outer hull.  As it turns-out I was not alone.  That seed stock was compromised by cross pollination resulting in reverberations of disappointment within the pumpkin seed gardening community at the loss of an entire year’s crop.

This spring, marauding birds ate my seeds before they even had an opportunity to germinate.

A second sowing (caged with chicken wire) resulted in the germination of two seeds.

Those two vines grew to a mutant thing eventually occupying 20% of the garden.

Harvest was today.

Behold the Kakai pumpkin gourd - all fourteen of them.

With shaking hand I opened the smallest with a handy machete.

Green, hulless seeds. Pure kernel!

S’all good, man.

Fruit of the Vine

Things are winding-down for the garden. 

Fifteen Kakai pumpkins await the opportunity to offer-up their delicious, hull-less seeds.  Five melons and four acorn squash.

Not bad.

The Best Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the World

After more than six decades walking this third planet from the sun it has occurred to me that I've roasted a lot of pumpkin seeds over the years.  It all started with my parents following the carving of the jack-o'-lanterns.  This continued into adulthood and more jack-o'-lanterns. And it has evolved to serious pumpkin growing specifically for the seeds. 

I've grown pumpkins for carving, roasting on the grill or making pie filling. You can get a can of pie filling just about anywhere.  But where can you get a good roasted pumpkin seed?   If you're a fan of roasted pumpkin seeds you absolutely need to check this out.  Not only are these pumpkins terrific for fall décor they are prolific seed producers.  Furthermore, their seeds lack the tough outer hulls of other more pedestrian pumpkins making them perfect for roasting.  On top of that they're a bush-variety and don't take-up large amounts of space in the garden.  

Behold the Kakai pumpkin....  

click on images for a closer look

A fetching bright orange pumpkin accented by dark green digital camouflage.  A non-GMO, organically-raised gourd of about 3 to 8 pounds.  

And chock-full of hull-less green seeds - pure kernel - without the tough shell.  All you have to do is open them up, insert your hand into the pulp and all of those seeds will slip right out.  And plenty of them too.  

Pour your seeds into a stock pot and add enough cold water so that they float freely.  Add to that as much kosher salt as you can stand (about a half cup - give or take).  Bring your pot to a boil and then turn-down the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. 






Drain your seeds in a colander.  
  

Spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees - stirring every 30 minutes with a spatula for about two hours.  Since ovens vary when your seeds begin to snap, crackle and pop they are telling you they are almost done.  

Finished product!  

A light, nutty, salty, snack that is full of vitamins, minerals and healthy antioxidants.  I am told that they promote prostate health too.  Serve with a frosty beer during the Packer game and at deer camp. But beware - these seeds can be addictive. 

 

If you  want to avoid eating your entire harvest in very short order I recommend that you package most of them with your FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer.  They'll keep for up to a year in the freezer.

Want to try something really decadent?  Mix a bag of M&Ms, dried cranberries and beer nuts in a big bowl along with these.

Cheers!

 

Failure To Thrive

Over the years I have blogged about the best roasted pumpkin seeds in the world - both here and at the former Wauwatosa Blog.  This is no small deal - these seeds are the pumpkin seed equivalent of crack cocaine.  Absolutely addicting.

The problem lately has been obtaining enough gourds to get larger quantities of seed into the kitchen supply chain.  The 2016 and 2017 growing seasons were marked by an insufficient inventory of Kakai pumpkins largely a consequence of failure top thrive.  Poor seed germination.  I thought initially it was due to wet conditions or some sort of blight.  Or the unlikely possibility that I was doing something wrong.  Yet my pal Six Deuce was experiencing the same issues - dismal survivability.

There is this notation of the packet of the 2018 seeds - 30% more seeds as germination is below Federal standard at 61%.  Heck, until now I had no clue there was a Federal germination standard.  Jung Seed clearly stands by their product.  Bravo for them.

Hmmm.  Maybe something else is afoot?  Not operator error on the part of the gardener?  Just plain-old failure to germinate.





I planted two hills of kakai seeds - likely sixteen in all.  As of yesterday I had one successful sprout.

I replanted and will keep my fingers crossed.  Probably should do what my pal Six Deuce has been doing - starting the seeds indoors for transplanting...

The Best Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the World

I've been roasting pumpkin seeds most of my life.  Beginning as a child with the help of my parents followed-on by several decades of jack-o'-lantern carving.   And finally by means of serious pumpkin growing specifically for seeds.  I've grown pumpkins for carving, roasting on the grill or making pie filling. You can get a can of pie filling just about anywhere.  But where can you get a good roasted pumpkin seed?   

If you're a fan of roasted pumpkin seeds you absolutely need to check this out.  Not only are these pumpkins terrific for fall décor they are prolific seed producers.  Furthermore, their seeds lack the tough outer hulls of other more pedestrian pumpkins making them perfect for roasting.  On top of that they're a bush-variety and don't take-up large amounts of space in the garden.

Behold the Kakai pumpkin.

click on image to enlarge 

A fetching bright orange pumpkin accented by dark green digital camouflage.  A non-GMO, organically-raised gourd of about 3 to 8 pounds.

And chock-full of hull-less green seeds - pure kernel - without the tough shell.  All you have to do is open them up, insert your hand into the pulp and all of those seeds will slip right out.  And plenty of them too.  

Pour your seeds into a stock pot and add enough cold water so that they float freely.  Add to that as much kosher salt as you can stand (about a half cup - give or take).  Bring your pot to a boil and then turn-down the heat and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes.

Drain your seeds in a colander.   

Spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees - stirring every 15 minutes with a spatula for 60 to 90 minutes as ovens vary.  When they start to snap, crackle and pop your seeds are talking to you.  Pay close attention to them.  They're almost done.   

Finished product!   

A light, nutty, salty, snack that is full of vitamins, minerals and healthy antioxidants.  They’re good for your prostate fellas.   Trust me on that.    

I like these with straight kosher salt.   Experiment with Worcestershire or other spices if you care to.  Serve with an icy-cold brewski during the Packer game and at deer camp.  

This was a tough year for the pumpkin patch with cold and wet growing conditions.  I finally got one single vine to sprout after four attempts planting three mounds.  My total harvest was two pumpkins,  These seeds are worth their weight in gold...

The World's Best Pumpkin Seeds

Well at least possibly the world's best roasted pumpkin seeds.

Halloween is just around the corner and with the carving of the gourds all of those seeds can be put to good use.  This should be a family-wide kitchen project.

I've been roasting pumpkin seeds most of my life.  Beginning as a child with the help of my parents.  Followed-on by several decades of jack-o'-lantern carving.  And finally by serious pumpkin growing.  For their seeds.  Admittedly I've grown pumpkins for carving, roasting on the grill or making pie filling.  We all kou can get a can of pie filling just about anywhere.  But where can you get a good roasted pumpkin seed?

This year brought the return of the seed-producing pumpkins.  I wasn't looking for pie filing or a carving squash.  I wanted seeds.  A hybrid pumpkin renowned not for its pulp but for its seeds.

If you're a fan of roasted pumpkin seeds you have to check this out.  Not only are these pumpkins terrific for fall décor they are prolific seed producers.  Furthermore, their seeds lack the tough outer hulls of other gourds making them perfect for roasting.  On top of that they're a bush-variety and don't take-up large amounts of space in the garden.

Behold the Kakai pumpkin.

click on images to enlarge

A fetching bright orange gourd with dark green stripes, non-GMO and organically-raised pumpkin of about 5 to 8 pounds.

And chock-full of hull-less green seeds - pure kernel - without the tough shell.  All you have to do is open them up, insert your hand into the pulp and all of those seeds will slip right out.  And plenty of them too.

Pour your seeds into a stock pot and add enough cold water so that they float freely.  Add to that as much kosher salt as you can stand (about a half cup).  Bring your pot to a boil and then turn-down the heat and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes.

Drain your seeds in a colander.

Spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees - stirring every 15 minutes with a spatula for 30 to 45 minutes.  When they start to snap, crackle and pop your seeds are talking to you.  Pay close attention to them.  They're almost done.

Finished product!  

A light, nutty, salty, snack that is full of vitamins, minerals and healthy antioxidants.  They’re good for your prostate fellas.  I made a couple of batches – straight kosher salt and for a special flair a batch sprinkled with Penzeys Cajun Spice prior to roasting.

Serve with an icy-cold brewski during the Packer game and at deer camp.