How to Save pumpkin seed.

Ingredients:

One large pumpkin.

One large knife.

Some newspaper.

Pumpkin, local newspaper, Knife.

With the help of an adult, carefully cut the bottom off the pumpkin.

Cut a three to five-inch slice.

Then scoop out all the seeds.

Try to leave the stringy bits inside the pumpkin.

Gently test each seed to see if it will bend.Before you go testing the seed lets see why its important to be gentle with them.Get a seed and peel off the outer coating.

The coating protects the “baby pumpkin plant” before it is born.

 If the embryonic seed is damaged or if the seed rots then the baby pumpkin plant will not be born.

 

Seed bends its bad.

If it doesn’t bent its good.Keep the good seeds separate from the bad seeds.

Good seed.Remember to keep the good seed from the bad.

Get your bundle of good seed gently wash any bits off the seeds.This is very important because later during storage of the seeds, the “ yellow bits” will cause the seeds to rot.

Now lay out the seeds to dry ideally on a wire mesh.Make sure the seeds are not touching.Try to store in an area at room temperature away from direct sunlight.

The wire mesh allows the air to circulate from underneath, allowing the seeds to dry from the bottom.

If you don’t have wire mesh you can also use a newspaper to dry out your seeds .However you must turn your seeds twice a day, in the morning and evening because no air is getting at the bottom of the seeds.

With the left over pumpkin you can make some pumpkin soup, or chop it up and add it to your compost bin along with the newspaper.

While we are waiting for the seeds to dry how do you think they should be stored?