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Kansas City, MO

I got a pretty big one this year and want to do my first seed harvest. Any pointers?????

10/21/2003 9:29:59 AM

Commack, NY

just cut her open and have at it. I like to wear rubber gloves, because for some reason, when i get the pumpkin guts on my hands it doesnt come off so easy. I put my seeds in a colander, and rinse them in the sink. I lay them out on newspaper on a table, turn them a few times and in three weeks you should be good to go.
Scott

10/21/2003 10:16:56 AM

Oz

i used a sawsall with a carbide burr blade(no teeth).
stab into the top cutting a circle.
angle the cut if you want it for a jack o lantern.
a soup ladle works great for scooping out seeds/guts.
the seeds run in rows from stem to blossom.
i have had a problem with seeds sprouting inside the pumpkin.
i think this is because i had them in the sun.
i lay the seeds ontop of 5 gal. buckets and they dry in the sun in two days.

10/21/2003 10:26:45 AM

In the shade - PDX, OR

Once open I like to extract the entire ovary. There should be 6 or 7 or more...
then sort through them and remove all of the seeds. Place in a 5 gal bucket and rinse, rinse, rinse.

rubber gloves are a must.

To dry - I like to put them on an old window screen with a fan blowing on them 24/7. They should be dry in a few days.

10/21/2003 11:50:57 AM

Key West, FL

rubber gloves... they're just pumpkin guts. lol

10/21/2003 1:39:38 PM

Applegate, Oregon

Ben...Exactly...lol. Rubber gloves??, we don't need no stinkin' gloves...lol

10/21/2003 2:50:55 PM

ditto....rubber gloves? are you nuts? it's mostly water, with a little orange slime on the side... (on the other hand, i don't wear gloves while gardening or gutting deer either)

anywho....you need more than 2 days to dry the seeds...a few weeks spread out, with a fan blowing is a minimum in my eyes... seems to me last year i air dried some CT field pumpkin seeds for a week or so, then put them in an air tight bag and they rotted...gotta get that moisture out...

CEIS - would not the number of ovaries be equivalent to the number of lobes???

10/21/2003 4:22:51 PM

Tacoma, WA

FYI....Joel dries his seeds on foil wrapped pieces of cardboard in the kitchen. No fan....just warm air. However, it takes up to two weeks to dry in this manner.

Stan

10/21/2003 6:49:05 PM

In the shade - PDX, OR

Use of Gloves - depends on the level of decomposition of your pumpkin AND personal cleanliness habits.

Cutting open a relatively fresh solid fruit there is minimal mess. - some slime here and there. Are you wearin' your grubbies, Sunday best or goin shirtless? Do you have a date w/ your honey later?

On the other hand-
If you have a rotting, slimy, moldy, stinking, putrid mess and want to extract some of the seed....I'd take a pair of gloves any day.

Treat your hands however you want to.
This is a diverse group here from commercial farmers to kids to desk jockeys workin' for the man. Some care about their appearance & others could care less.

Remember that this is the NEW growers form and we are just trying to help out the newbies when they ask for help.
There are many ways to harvest seed if you want to share what works for you that is great.

10/21/2003 8:08:43 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Another point to consider. The first AG we harvested seeds from this year was over a month ago. It was a partly mature 70 day cull. The smallest seeds my son wanted to roast, salt & eat which is fine since they weren't all mature. He was having a fine time sorting them & wouldn't let me touch a single seed. This was *HIS* project. We roasted the small ones (YUK!) The rest I placed on a screen with a fan blowing on for 2 days. Then my wife "did me a favor" & placed them in a plastic jar.......with the lid on........seems a cat was chasing them around the floor so she thought she would help and.......It's a good thing these weren't "good" seeds. But they were important to my son. It took hours for him to collect these things all by himself. The putrid mess that followed has since been resorted (the really black moldy ones I pitched), bleach bathed, & placed back on a cardboard drying rack next to a dehumidifer that hasn't stopped running for 4 weeks now. The seed drying racks are all over the darn place now! And we still have 2 more to go.

The moral of this story is to make sure the seeds are dry before storing them.

OH. And don't leave drying seeds where squirrels, birds, cats or dogs might happen about. Ours are in the laudry room behind closed doors now. Any manner of atrocities might occur otherwise! LOL

Steve

10/21/2003 9:37:16 PM

Long Island,New York

Steve..stack the seed drying cardboards on top of each other with 4 dixie cups( at the corners) and one dixie cup in the middle...no need to have them all over the place.....

10/22/2003 8:40:19 PM

North Ga

And don't forget those safty glasses!!

10/22/2003 9:57:11 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Good idea Glenn. I should have cut them of a uniform size too. Next year I'll engineer a drying rack for sure. Only 2 more fruit to go.

Safety glasses too? Boy I wish I could attach a photo to this post. You see, I sell all sorts of Personal Protective Equipment. I thought we'd only want to use this stuff for chemical spraying. But for those concerned, We offer Tyvek disposable coveralls, Nytrile & Latex Gloves (15" & 18"), Wilson paint & pesticide cartridge respirators, Steel Toed NIOSH Certified Bata work & spray boots, & all sorts of eye, face, & head protection.

Pretty hazardous work this seed extraction huh? LOL! Good deals on hard hats too!

10/23/2003 5:31:42 AM

Kansas City, MO

More advice then I could ever imagine. Thanks all.

Now, to keep things going. Freeze or Don't Freeze????

10/23/2003 8:10:34 AM

Montoursville, PA

If you are making pumpkin pie for dinner don't freeze. Pumpkin ice cream is best frozen. Roasted seeds just don't do well frozen either. :)

11/3/2003 5:34:43 PM

Warren, Ma

I have harvested the seeds of several pumpkins and they have been drying for a week on an old window screen. Once they are dried, how should they be stored? My father-in-law said to put them in a big paper envelope to keep them out of the sun and allow them to “breathe”. My father said to seal them in a Mason jar. Other people have told me to put them in an airtight container. What is suggested?

11/10/2003 1:32:08 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

If you're sure they're dry (outer skin falling off), then many folks stick them in a sealed jar with a silica gel pack like you'd find accompanying electronic equipment. The you can place the jar in a cool dark dry place. Many prfer the refrigerator or freezer. We feeze our best ones. Refrigerate the rest.

Steve

11/10/2003 2:03:45 PM