Carving a Pumpkin

Last October, when I purchased a pumpkin carving kit . . . it was past the season to do so.  But, my three year-old son clung to that pumpkin carving knife and seed scooper as if they were the most precious tools in the world.  They were identified as “his” kitchen tools.

He’s probably had at least 50 attempts at carving (or pretending to carve) something in the kitchen — to the exasperated and hysterical response of “Calvin!  Put that away!”

It’s my fault.

I should have stowed the darn kit away in some cupboard where I probably would have never found it again instead of unleashing hopes from a fresh-faced little boy who wants nothing more than to help in the kitchen at every possible opportunity.

This year, we were ready. . .

His Daddy purchased two carving pumpkins.

And, when I came home from work, Calvin was breathless with excitement.  He jumped up and down in the patio exclaiming to me that we had “Pumpins” and that we were going to carve them.

—

Nevermind that there was a sink full of dirty dishes waiting for me to move them along to the dishwasher.  Forget Mount Laundry growing by the armloads in my room waiting to be folded and put away.  Push aside the tired feet and strong desire to take a nap.  Choke away the oppressive weightiness of the forthcoming presentation that I needed to work on in every spare minute–my son had been waiting a FULL year for this experience, and I wasn’t going to let him down.

While he dug through the utensil drawer for his special pumpkin carving knife, I readied myself with a good serrated knife to take off the top.

While we carved together his “boy” pumpkin, we talked about a parallel prayer and devotion written by Liz Curtis Higgs:

{Cut off top of pumpkin}

Lord, open my mind so I can learn new things about you.

{Remove insides}

Remove the things in my life that don’t please you.

Forgive the wrong things I do and help me to forgive others.

{Cut open eyes}

Open my eyes to see the beauty you’ve made in the world around me.

{cut out the nose}

I’m sorry for the times I’ve turned my nose at the good food you provide.

{cut out mouth}

Let everything I say please You.

{light the candle}

Lord, help me show your light to others through the things I do. Amen

While we worked together to clean through the seeds, we talked about how they’d make a delicious snack.  Reading through a variety of recipes online, I found some seed cleaning tips that worked well, and I modified and created my own baking recipe.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

To Clean:

Cover seeds in water with 1 T of sea salt and bring to boil for 20 minutes (to clean seeds).

Drain seeds with colander.

Spread seeds on a baking sheet and dry over night.

To Bake:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In mixing bowl, add seeds, 1 T. melted butter, 1 T. coconut oil, and 1 T. sea salt.

Spread coated seeds on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 – 35 minutes at 300 degrees.

Cool for 10 – 15 minutes, then enjoy!

I baked the seeds in the morning, so my husband and son could enjoy them during the day while I was at work.  Sure enough, as soon as Calvin finished his plate of scrambled eggs, he remarked, “I’m still hungry!  I think I need pumpkin seeds.”

He enjoyed them immensely…if only a small amount throughout the day.

Such a crunchy, salty, and satisfying snack…much more so when you go through the effort of preparing them from a carved pumpkin.

What are your pumpkin-carving traditions in your family?  

What are your favorite recipes for pumpkins or seeds?