From Old Farmer's Almanac...

Seasonal Advice
To Clean a Pumpkin for Cooking
First, scrub the outside of the pumpkin with a vegetable brush. Cut the pumpkin in half and use a spoon to scrape out the fibers and the seeds. A serrated grapefruit spoon works great for this. Cut the pumpkin halves into smaller pieces, then place them skin side up in a shallow baking dish. Add water to just cover the bottom of the dish, and cover tightly. Bake in a 325 degrees F oven until the pumpkin is fork tender. The time will vary depending on the size of your pieces. Let it cool, and then either cut off the peel or scoop out the flesh.


Pumpkin Spice Mix Recipe
Mix the following in a jar:
1/3 cup ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg or mace
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice.
For pumpkin pie, add 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons of spice mix to your other ingredients.


Crunchy Pumpkin Seeds
Miscellaneous Recipes Vegetables Recipes
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 20 minutes
2 cups pumpkin seeds, rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine seeds and oil and toss well to coat. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake about 10 minutes and stir. Bake another 5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a large shallow plate to cool.
If you prefer, you can toast seeds on the stovetop. Warm a large cast-iron frypan over medium heat. Add oil, then seeds, and stir well to coat. Spread mixture in an even layer; stir often until seeds are lightly toasted. Season with salt. Transfer to a large shallow plate to cool.

Scent Your Jack-o'-Lantern
Sprinkle a teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix into your carved pumpkin before lighting the candle.

Storing Pumpkins and Winter Squash
Winter squashes don't like to be quite as cool as root crops do. If you have a coolish bedroom, stashing them under the bed works well. They like a temperature of about 50 to 65 degrees F.