How to Use the Whole Pumpkin! From Skin to Seeds

Abbie Stutzer |

Sep 10, 2024

We all know that pumpkin flesh is incredibly tasty. Who doesn’t love pumpkin bread and cake?! But there’s more to the pumpkin than that.

Lets start from the inside out.

1. Stringy pumpkin insides

Yes, this part of the pumpkin doesn’t read appealing, but when correctly prepared it can taste delicious.

This seemingly unappealing part of the Skin to Seed: How to Eat an Entire Pumpkin

pumpkin can be prepared in a few different ways.

If you’re thirsty and cold, we suggest boiling the stringy part of the pumpkin and preparing pumpkin infused cider. Just boil the pumpkin strings to make a thin broth, and mix with apple cider, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Want soup? Boil the strings, as described above, to make pumpkin stock.
Cook strings as you would spaghetti squash.

2. Pumpkin seeds

Oh, those scrumptious, crunchy pumpkin seeds. They are so glorious to eat and a breeze to prepare after you’ve removed them from the pumpkin and cleaned them.

Over the years, we’ve published several articles containing pumpkin seed recipes. The following two are my favorite:

14 Easy Ways to Eat Pumpkin Seeds

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds to Crispy Perfection in Under an Hour

3. Pumpkin flesh

Boring. But still great. Pumpkin flesh is the stuff you’re used to seeing in cans but you also can easily harvest your own pumpkin flesh.

Simply split a pumpkin in half and place the halves cut side down, with 1/2 cup of water, in a baking dish, into your oven that’s been preheated to 400 degrees F. Bake for one hour. Once cool, peel the pumpkin’s skin away from its flesh.

Once you’ve “freed” its flesh, you can use it in a number of recipes. We love, love, love this Pumpkin Bread and Bundt Recipe.

4. Pumpkin leaves and blossoms

Prepare and eat pumpkin leaves similar to any green. First, hold a leaf upside down by its stem. Split the stem and pull it backward. Pull gently and pull fibers from the outside of the stem and back of leaf. Prepare a large pile because, as you know, all greens quickly cook down. A pile of leaves will serve one to two people.

Pumpkin greens taste sweet. Simmer with tomatoes for a few minutes, or briefly blanch and fry with oil and garlic, and toss with tomatoes.

If you’re able to harvest the pumpkin’s blossoms, you can prepare them as you would any other squash blossom. One simple way to prepare the blooms is by washing, covering in oil and bread crumbs, and frying. A handful of blossoms will feed one to two.

5. Pumpkin skin

Simply peel the skin from your pumpkin and use it to make pumpkin chips.

Once skin is peeled, cover it in olive oil and your favorite spices, or simply salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and cook until crisp. One large pumpkin should make enough chips from one to two people.

Tags: pumpkin whole pumpkin