How to scoop out a pumpkin

Kitchen Chemistry

Cut the top of your pumpkin off.
- You want to cut off about 1/8 of the entire pumpkin
- You can do it straight across, in a circle or in a zig-zag pattern (or another creative way)
Once you have the top off the pumpkin, you want to remove all the seeds first.
- This is very easy, as the pumpkin seeds come loose very easily
- To remove the seeds from the 'lid' and the 'body', you want to use your hands quite gently (imagine Winnie the Pooh, pawing honey out of a pot) to scoop the seeds up and out
When you have all of the seeds removed, and in a separate bowl, you can either discard them, or wash them with a collinder, to use later (we recommend making Pumpkin-Spiced Pumpkin Seeds!).
To remove the rest of the guts, you are going to want to scrape away at the inside wall with a spoon.
- A soup spoon or similar works best for this.
- Don't be afraid to scrape at the walls of the pumpkin, you won't break it and the meat is edible anyway!
Once you've done this, you have an empty pumpkin for carving and some pumpkin flesh and seeds to cook with!