Preparing pumpkin seeds for storage. How to dry pumpkin seeds in the oven, microwave and electric dryer? Collect pumpkin seeds

Hello dear readers. In search of information on how to properly collect seeds from vegetables, I came across a book on the Internet for 1917 "Growing Garden Plants for Seeds." I would like to share with you the information from this book on how to collect pumpkin seeds. To save original text, I will reprint it without changes, I hope the author will not be offended by me

Growing pumpkin

pumpkin has no special section and grown in different suitable places between garden plants, near buildings on sunny side, on the slopes, near the fence, on the earthen roofs of the storehouses; with unsuitable soils, steam pits are made, 1 arshin (71.12 cm) wide, half filled with manure and compost on top; on compost heaps, as well as on stacks of greenhouse soil, pumpkins deplete the compost and that soil.

Seeds are germinated in boxes with earth (not with sawdust or sand), they are planted in them, seedlings are planted after May matinees; melon gourd seedlings are grown in dung pots in a greenhouse. Growing loops straighten out to the south.

In bush pumpkins (zucchini) in the northern strip, extra leaves, shoots and flowers are stepchildren, so that the fruits do not rot from their density in wet weather; rarely, in large climbing gourds, the tops of the lateral secondary loops are pinched.

When weeding the grass, which the tendrils cling to, they do not pull it out, but only cut off the tops and leaves in order to leave the support intact. The fruits are turned so that the top does not touch the ground, from which it rots. Like cucumbers, pumpkins are easy to crossbreed and must be grown separately.

The fruits are removed before the September matinees or August matinees, against which, however, they can be covered with leaves, straw, paper, matting, or on trellises with mats and greenhouse frames, bringing them to a larger size.

How to collect pumpkin seeds

Selected for seeds best first fruits, the rest are used.

The removed fruits are always semi-ripe; they are kept first in a barn, then they are transferred to a dry basement or to a living room, where they are kept on the floor. Seed plants reach maturity only after a month of maturation, sometimes more, but they should not be kept further than half of November, otherwise the ripened seeds inside the fruit germinate ahead of time, in September or early October; they should not be gutted: although the seeds in them sometimes seem full and ripe, but after drying they turn out to be feeble or empty.

To isolate the seeds, the fruits are cut and the seeds are selected by hand; the pulp is used as food or together with fibers to feed pigs.

The removed seeds are placed in an even layer on the board, on which they are dried with stirring every day; dried seeds are rubbed between the palms or lightly pounded in a mortar to separate membranous shells, from which they are beaten off on a tray. Germination, preservation and properties of fresh and stale seeds are the same as those of cucumbers.

Pumpkin seeds are very tasty and healthy. They contain a lot of calcium, which has a beneficial effect on the skin, teeth and nails. Also, the composition of the seeds of this vegetable includes substances that allow you to deal with male sexual diseases at an early stage. Maximum concentration useful substances contained in the raw product, but it will not be possible to store such seeds for a long time, as they begin to quickly rot and deteriorate. The best way keep the seeds long time- dry them.

Of course, ready-made dry seeds can be bought at any store, but a product prepared on your own will bring much more benefit to the body, since the drying process will be completely controlled by you. How to dry properly pumpkin seeds at home, we will talk in detail in this article.

The variety of pumpkin when harvesting seeds does not matter. You can use both table and fodder varieties.

Cutting the pumpkin in half reveals the seed chamber. Seeds are located in a heap, and not throughout the pulp, as, for example, in a watermelon, so their collection is not difficult.

To dry the seeds from excess moisture, they are laid out on paper towels and blotted with a napkin. It is best to leave them like this for a couple of hours, and then proceed directly to drying.

Watch the video from the AllrecipesRU channel - How to remove pumpkin seeds and prepare them for further drying

How to dry pumpkin seeds

On air

To do this, the raw materials are laid out in one layer on trays or flat plates lined with clean paper. Newspaper sheets for drying are not suitable, as printing ink is very toxic.

The container with seeds should be placed in a dry, warm and well-ventilated place. To protect the product from settling dust and insects, pallets can be covered with gauze.

Natural drying is quite long in time and takes approximately 15 to 20 days.

In the oven

Drying in the oven takes much less time. Moreover, drying with this unit can be done in two ways:

• Clean seeds are laid out on a baking sheet in one layer and placed in a cabinet heated to 60 - 80 degrees. To prevent them from burning, the contents of the pan should be stirred every 30 minutes. The door is kept ajar. Drying time varies depending on the size of the seeds, but the average is 1 - 1.5 hours.
• The express method of drying in the oven takes only 20 minutes. Seeds at the same time are exposed to elevated temperatures up to 180 degrees.

Watch the video from the channel "Culinary News and Recipes" - Pumpkin seeds in the oven

in a frying pan

Drying pumpkin seeds in a pan will take no more than 15 minutes. This process requires your constant presence, as it requires constant mixing of the product. Dry the seeds should be on medium heat.

In an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits

Pumpkin seeds fill the lattice with an ordinary layer. The temperature regime is set at 60 - 70 degrees. For uniform drying, pallets are periodically rearranged. If this moment is missed, then the seeds on the lower tiers will burn, and the upper ones will remain raw.

in the microwave

On a flat plate covered with a paper towel, lay out a small portion of the seeds and send it to the microwave. Seeds dry out in 2 minutes at the maximum power of the unit. If this time is not enough, then the procedure is extended for another 1 minute.

Watch the video from the Kuhmister channel - How to quickly fry pumpkin seeds in the microwave

In air grill

Drying in the air grill lasts 30 - 40 minutes. The blower power is set to maximum, and the heating temperature is 60 - 70 degrees. To ensure good ventilation, the lid of the unit is left slightly ajar. If this is not done, then the moist air will have nowhere to go, and the seeds will remain moist.

How do you know if the seeds are dry?

Properly dried seeds acquire a yellowish color, the peel becomes dense with a clear contour. Be sure to slide off the transparent film easily from the seeds. The color of the core is dark green with whitish patches. If you bite the seed, then it should not be wet or crunchy from overdrying.

How to store dried pumpkin seeds

Store dry seeds in a dark, dry place. Storage containers can be canvas bags or glass jars with tight lid. The shelf life of seeds is 1 year.

Most gardeners and supporters healthy eating long known about nutritional value and wonderful palatability pumpkins. However, to meet sunny vegetable not possible in every garden. Some are stopped by the lack of agrotechnical knowledge on growing this crop. Others simply do not have enough seating space. After all, sprawling bushes and long prickly lashes strive to occupy neighboring beds.

However, such arguments do not stand up to scrutiny if you really want to provide your family with a whole well beneficial vitamins and micronutrients. Besides, what could be tastier than pumpkin soup or a vegetable baked in the oven? One has only to try once, and you will immediately become an avid pumpkin grower.

• Remember that pumpkin is a cross-pollination crop. Therefore, in order to obtain seeds with stable varietal characteristics, plants must be grown at a considerable distance from other related vegetables (cucumbers, zucchini, squash, and others). The interval must be at least 500 meters. If such spatial isolation is not possible, carry out hand pollination and then cover the flower with a cap.
• For reproduction, choose only complete, and not hybrid varieties. Plants grown from seeds marked F1 on the package will never produce quality planting material. Pumpkins grown from it with a very high probability will no longer correspond to the declared varietal characteristics.
• For ease of care, try to plant seed plants separately from the rest of the representatives of the variety, since they require special agricultural technology - more occasional watering and feeds. This will reduce the growing season and achieve fruit ripening directly on the plant, without additional ripening. Seeds ripened directly on the bush are better adapted to the local microclimate and soils, more resistant to diseases.
• When harvesting seeds, always choose the ripest, healthiest pumpkin from the strongest plant. In addition, the fruit in its shape, size, color and taste characteristics must fully comply with varietal characteristics.

Seed harvesting technology

The process of obtaining pumpkin seeds is very simple. It consists of several main steps.

• Choose the ripest, largest and sweet pumpkin, which is cut convenient way(divided into two halves or removed upper part fetus).
• The seeds, along with the amniotic pulp, are removed from the core with a spoon, and then thoroughly cleaned and washed with warm or cool water in a colander.
• For pre-drying, the seeds are placed in one layer on paper towel or thin linen with good absorbency. At this stage, a final revision is carried out, removing debris, as well as diseased and damaged specimens.
• For final drying, it is recommended to place the seeds on baking paper, stirring them occasionally to avoid mold.
• It is best to dry the seeds in natural conditions, that is, when room temperature and low humidity. This process takes about a month. The most impatient can use a low heat oven (3-4 hours) or a dehydrator (1-2 hours). However, such drying methods significantly reduce the quality of seeds, since the probability of overheating is too high.
• If you are harvesting seeds for food purposes, then it would be better to immediately fry them in the oven or in a hot frying pan.

How to store seeds properly?

Properly grown and harvested seeds it is also required to store them correctly so that they do not lose their germination capacity until the next season.

Such a delicacy as pumpkin seeds is familiar to each of us since childhood. They are not only tasty and healthy, but also extremely nutritious. The process of eating them allows you to occupy your hands and remove nervous tension. In our article I would like to tell you how to properly dry pumpkin seeds. Here you can resort to several methods, which will be discussed below.

What are the benefits of pumpkin seeds?

Pumpkin seeds are tasty and healthy. The product acts as a raw material for the production of oils that are used to prepare vegetarian dishes. You can use such seeds not only in their pure form. They are often added to salads, vegetable stews used to make sauces. Crushed seeds can be a good ingredient in the case of making cereals. The taste of homemade bread and pastries, where such a product was added, turns out to be extremely original.

Raw material preparation

Before telling how to dry pumpkin seeds at home, I would like to say a few words about preparing for the process. To begin with, a mature pumpkin is taken, on which there are no signs of decay. Then the top is cut off so that the pulp is clearly visible. The internal tissue of the fetus is removed wooden spoon. If desired, the task can be handled by hand. The main thing is to make sure that the seeds are not damaged. Otherwise, they will become unusable during drying.

After extracting pumpkin seeds, the raw material is carefully separated from the pulp and moved to a colander. Flushing occurs under a powerful jet of water from a tap. The grains are gently stirred by hand. They will be slippery at first. However, after a few washes, the viscosity will disappear. As soon as the seeds stop slipping between the fingers, they can be subjected to further manipulation.

Take a few paper towels. Washed seeds are wrapped in the latter. Minor pressure is applied to the raw material, so as not to damage the product.

As soon as the seeds get rid of the liquid, they are moved from the towel to the board or tray. They are laid out in one layer and left on fresh air. The seeds are kept under such conditions for several hours until the remaining moisture evaporates.

Drying in a pan

Let's look at how to dry pumpkin seeds in a pan. The process differs little from frying other products. The result is the most crunchy treat. So, how to dry pumpkin seeds in this way? To do everything right, you need to perform actions according to the following sequence:

1. After preliminary drying in the fresh air, pumpkin seeds are sprinkled with salt.
2. The raw material is placed in a bowl filled with olive oil. Black pepper is also poured here, and dill is added. If desired, salt and savory ingredients can be replaced with powdered sugar. In this case, the roasted seeds will be sweet.
3. How to dry pumpkin seeds? The prepared product is placed thin layer into a hot skillet. Fire is reduced to a minimum. The seeds are roasted for 20-25 minutes and periodically turned over. In this case, the pan is not covered with a lid.
4. The fact that pumpkin seeds are ready will be indicated by the appearance of a golden crust on their surface. At the end of the procedure, the product is laid out on a paper towel. The seeds can be consumed as soon as they have cooled.

Drying in natural conditions

How to dry pumpkin seeds without exposing the product to heat? The obligatory moment here is the presence of sunny weather and the possibility of placing raw materials in an open, ventilated area. They operate here as follows.

The washed seeds are placed in a thin layer on a metal baking sheet. The latter is brought to the site, which is well lit by the sun. In such a place, the raw material remains for several days. It is important to ensure that the air does not become humid. Otherwise, the drying process will be significantly delayed. The criterion for the readiness of the product for consumption in this case is the appearance of a fragile shell.

How to dry pumpkin seeds in the oven?

To begin with, the oven warms up well to a temperature of about 150 ° C. The prepared seeds are laid out in one layer on a metal baking sheet, previously covered with foil or baking paper. Raw materials are sent to the oven.

How to dry pumpkin seeds in the oven? The product is exposed high temperature for 10-15 minutes. As soon as the surface of the seeds becomes slightly brownish, they are removed from the oven and mixed. Then the raw material is again sent to the device with the fire turned off until it cools down. After drying, you can lightly sprinkle the seeds with salt or sugar.

Drying in the microwave

You can dry pumpkin seeds in the microwave. Consider the procedure step by step:

1. The seeds are washed and placed in a thin layer in a glass dish, the bottom of which is covered with paper towels.
2. The container is sent to the microwave. The device turns on at maximum power. Time heat treatment set for 2 minutes.
3. As soon as the timer bell rings, the dishes are taken out. The seeds are mixed and placed back in the microwave. The raw material is fried for several minutes, but already at medium power.
4. Then the seeds are turned over again. If the product is not ready, repeat the above steps. Qualitatively dried pumpkin seeds will have a rigid structure and a darkish tint.

Cooking seeds in an electric dryer

How to dry pumpkin seeds in an electric dryer for fruits and vegetables? The raw materials are placed on the gratings of the device in a single layer. Installed in the dryer temperature regime at 60-70 ° C. In order for the product to cook evenly, pallets are interchanged from time to time. The omission of such important point will lead to the fact that the seeds that are located on lower tier, burn. In turn, the top seeds may be half raw. The seeds are dried in this way until a golden crust and an easily detachable transparent film form on them.

Air fryer drying

How to dry pumpkin seeds in an air grill? The raw material is placed in the device. Installed maximum power blowing hot air. The raw material is left alone for half an hour. In this case, the air grill lid should be slightly ajar, which is required for good ventilation. Otherwise wet air will accumulate inside the appliance, and the pumpkin seeds will be slightly damp.

Storage of dried seeds

If you store the seeds naturally at room temperature, after about a week they will begin to dampen, lose their crispy character and change in taste. To prevent this from happening, the product is placed in a cotton bag. An alternative can be gauze fabric, which is folded in several layers. Such a container for seeds is hung in a dry, well-ventilated area.

Alternatively, the product can be placed in a plastic container. A good option for storing seeds is a glass jar, hermetically sealed. The main thing is that such containers are stored in places where there is no moisture.

Finally

So we figured out how to dry pumpkin seeds at home. As you can see, there are many effective and available ways to prepare such a nutritious and useful product to use.

Finally, I would like to advise you not to buy factory-made pumpkin seeds. Often they are seasoned with an abundance of salt. Also, the composition may contain all kinds of preservatives and chemical substances, which are used to increase the shelf life of the product. It is much safer to do it yourself by preparing pumpkin seeds at home. Dealing with the challenge is easy. The main thing is to follow simple rules.

Pumpkin is a melon culture. She pleases not only with her pulp, which can be boiled and baked, but also with seeds hiding inside. Under the white shell contains a product with the rarest ingredients. In addition to the usual vitamins A and E, pumpkin seeds are filled with vitamin K, which is necessary for the body to normal blood clotting. They are also saturated with zinc, the amount of which in them is slightly less than in oysters.

The healing qualities of pumpkin seeds suggest that they should always be in stock.

How to store pumpkin seeds for food

You can buy pumpkin seeds or make your own. Stores offer the product peeled or in shell, fried or dried.

To keep the seeds longer, it is better to buy unpeeled ones. The shell will protect the inner fruit from drying out, loss of taste and nutritional qualities. The oil contained inside will not oxidize or go rancid. In peeled seeds, it will spoil their taste very quickly.

Seeds, selected from the pumpkin yourself, must be placed in a colander and rinsed in in large numbers water. They must be completely free of fibers.

It happens that the fibers just do not lag behind. Then the seeds need:

• Pour cold water and leave for an hour or two.
• Rinse again, wait until the water drains.
• Lay out in one layer on a table covered with oilcloth or plastic wrap, for drying.

The sun should not fall on the seeds, so they should lie in partial shade. After a few days (4-5) they reach a state suitable for storage.

Instead of air drying, you can resort to using the oven:

• Arrange the seeds on a baking sheet in a single layer.
• Preheat the oven to 40 degrees.
• Put the tray inside, leave the door half open.
• Periodically (every 30 minutes) mix the seeds.
• After 1.5–2 hours, turn off the oven, put the baking sheet with the seeds outside.

After the product has cooled completely, it should be poured into clean glass jars. It is this container that is most suitable. Banks need to be closed plastic lids. Food containers are also used - provided that they are tightly closed.

Seeds can be stored at room temperature (20–22 degrees). They feel good in the pantry, on the glazed loggia and remain suitable and useful for at least a year. In a purified form, the seeds are stored for up to six months.

How to prepare and save seeds for seeds

To receive good harvest pumpkins need quality seed material. It can be collected from already ripe gourds in your garden.

For seeds, you need to prepare those pumpkins that:

• have correct form and sufficient size;
• uniform in color.

Pumpkin intended for seeds should be grown at some distance from other plants.

The material is collected from those fruits that have ripened before the first frost and are stored.

Pumpkins need to be kept in a warm room for three or four weeks. But you should not torment them for too long, because the seeds can germinate inside. They will become unsuitable for landing.

We collect seeds like this:

• Cut the pumpkin a little on the side. You can't do this in the middle because
• seeds.
• We extract the seeds, peel the pulp and rinse in cool water.
• We choose the best specimens from the whole mass: without defects, large and full.
• Spread the seeds on a flat surface in a warm and dry room to dry.