West Seattle weekend scene: ‘Pumpkin Seed Roast-Off’

This event wasn’t on our calendar – too bad; we suspect they could have charged admission! Karen White shared the photo from the annual “Pumpkin Seed Roast-Off” this afternoon in her neighborhood near The Junction. We sent a followup question and got a reply from Karen’s daughter Kerry, reporting the results:

She won 1st place with candied jalapeño pumpkin seeds. Paul won 2nd with pumpkin spiced dark chocolate sea salt seeds and Reese won 3rd place.

The White’s are the undefeated champs. My Dad and I are both previous winners.

Oh, and Brady got the “special” award for his burnt seeds. We had 22 entries this year!

So if you’re making a jack-o-lantern, think twice before you just toss the seeds!

Pijus October 29, 2011 (7:59 pm)

Jalapeño clusters are the bomb! The Whites rule, again.

schwaggy October 29, 2011 (8:02 pm)

Jalepeno was fantastic. So many seeds to vote on, absolutely amazing neighborhood event. See you next year.

40th Ave Yard Sitter October 29, 2011 (8:09 pm)

Way to go 40th AVE! Awesome neighborhood event. The pumpkin beer and smoked pork sliders were delish.

K-witty October 29, 2011 (8:31 pm)

Wahoo! I love the Pumpkin Seed Roast Off. Great job everyone!

coffee October 29, 2011 (9:59 pm)

Omg please tell the blog earlier next year so I can go….

Aman October 29, 2011 (10:29 pm)

Are the recipes available? If so, where? Thanks!

Westgirl October 29, 2011 (11:19 pm)

Wait a min…I live on 40th! Where’s my invite ;)

eastwest October 30, 2011 (9:59 am)

Hope they get it on the calendar for next year because I would love to sample of these and would be happy to make a donation so I could!! You have also inspired me to take my pumpkin seed roasting to a new level.

StringCheese October 30, 2011 (11:56 am)

Recipes! Bring on some recipes! Please!!!!

kurly212 October 30, 2011 (12:06 pm)

Aw, man! I wish I would have known. I just made some yummy roasted pumpkin (and buttercup squash) seeds last night!

west seattle mom October 30, 2011 (5:33 pm)

Recipes?

Karen White October 30, 2011 (7:49 pm)

Oh, all right. I did not expect to win, just wanted to do something different.
.
I canned the jalapenos several months ago using this recipe from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com:

Yield: About 9 half-pint jars of Candied Jalapenos plus additional jalapeno syrup.

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh, firm, jalapeno peppers, washed
2 cups cider vinegar
6 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems.

Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.

Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

*If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It’s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, or, or… In short, don’t toss it out!

Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.

Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. Or don’t. I won’t tell!

—- so then three days before the Roast-Off I blanched seeds from a sugar pumpkin, let them dry for a couple of hours, then simmered them in enough of the jalapeno syrup and some jalapenos to cover, until no pickling syrup was visible; then into a 350 oven on a parchment-lined sheet until golden brown and crisp. When cool I rolled them in the same parchment and into a freezer bag until the Roast Off. Enjoy!

Karen

(Sorry this post is so long, Tracy.)

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