Last week on Seedsheet Live (10/31/19)

Every Thursday at noon ET we host a live social media episode on Facebook and Instagram during which we answer gardening questions from Seedsheet customers and traditional gardeners alike! We’re here to help you successfully grow from seed to supper.

Last week on our special Halloween edition of Seedsheet Live, Tammy in Indiana asked, “What parts of a pumpkin are edible?”

Most varieties of pumpkins, including our jack-o-lantern pumpkins which you can grow in a Custom Seedsheet, are completely edible! 

The flowers can be eaten straight off the vine, tossed in a salad, or stuffed, battered and fried. If you want to eat the flowers and still have pumpkins for the fall, eat only the male flowers that do not produce fruit. 

The leaves of the plant, when they’re tender and young, can be sauteed and wilted just like spinach or kale. 

The skin, flesh, and even the innards are delicious and nutritious. Cut the pumpkin into small chunks and roast them on a baking sheet, skin-side up until the flesh is soft and you can pierce it with a fork. You can add a little oil, salt, and pepper and eat them straight, or let them cool for a bit and then puree them (with the skin left on or cut away, it’s your preference) in a food processor and freeze for pies, creme brulee, cakes, breads, or yummy french toast.

If you don’t want to eat the slimy sinuous strands from the inside of the pumpkin, scoop them out and use them as a completely natural soil fertilizer amendment. Mix them in with your container garden or backyard raised bed soil for healthy, nutrient-packed soil for your next planting. Just make sure there are no pumpkin seeds left in the material or you’ll have big healthy pumpkin plants again before you know it!

The seeds, which are a staff favorite at Seedsheet, are delicious roasted with a little oil and flavorings of your choice-- make them sweet, spicy, or savory! Use one tablespoon of vegetable oil per cup of seeds. 

Our featured Customer Testimonial came from Karlene in Vermont, who has done some amazing things to transform her garden for bunches of sunflowers, chard, and beans in a Custom Seedsheet. She also left the milkweed surrounding her garden and planted zinnias to attract all those good pollinators like butterflies, bees, and birds!

Thanks to Karlene for sharing photos of her Seedsheet success via email and as a reward, she won a FREE Balcony Seedsheet Garden kit of her choice! Don’t forget to email photos of your Seedsheet success to contest@seedsheets.com for a chance to be featured on an episode of Seedsheet Live and win a garden kit.

For our recipe of the week, we whipped up a seasonal Pumpkin French Toast to satiate the basic b*tch in us all. This recipe will satisfy all your fall brunch needs! 

Finally, Lauren in Florida asked, “I have never gardened before and am ready to start, what is the easiest thing to grow?” 

The easiest veggie varieties to grow are greens because they don’t require any thining, pollinating, or training. They’re also hardy, which means they can tolerate some temperature and moisture fluctuation and they’re ready super quick! We recommend trying our Salad Seedsheet for a super easy and fresh garden, or creating a Custom Seedsheet with succulent leafy greens like dinosaur kale, and a crisp lettuce blend.