My neighbor gave me two pumpkins the other day. I decided they must be dried up but the seeds would still be good. Sure enough they were. Where I grew up, we always had fresh pumpkin seeds to eat.

The seeds, however, came with their own superstition. They were actually called Macobi Seeds and those who were love sick or their lover left them, they would be eating these seeds. They were said to have Macobi. They were also called pepitos for those who were just eating them to eat them.

When one would eat these seeds, one would be quick to say, "I don't have Macobi" lol. I am just eating them.

I don't know what effect these seeds were supposed to have on love sickness. Imagine the seed itself, it may have some properties that was good for the feel good hormone " Serotonin". I would see people eat a whole bag full and say they felt much better lol.

How I made the pepitos: I washed and drained them and them put them on towels to dry. I then put them on a cookie sheet and all spread out and baked them for ten minutes on 350 to dry some more. I then removed them, sprinkled some olive oil (tiny amount ) and some sea salt and stirred them good and put them in for another ten min. I would stir them again and check to see if they were done. I think it took 20 to 30 min, depending on your oven.

To crack the peppitos (I am assuming that you don't have Macobi lol) put the seed between you teeth on the sharp end of the seed and bite down just a little and the seed will pop open and you can just pull the seed out with you teeth, it's all in the learning lol.

The pumpkins, were also good so I put those in a pan with a rack with water and steam baked them for pies and cakes at a later time. Here is one all done and scoped out.

I made the pumpkin cake, no pic..it half eaten lol.

1cup oil, 3 c flour, 1 1/2 teas BS, 2 teas BP, 2 c brown sugar, 4 eggs, nuts and golden raisen, two cups of the fresh baked pumpkin, pureed.

topping, squeeze four oranges and one rind ground, cook together with brown sugar syrup (I always have some, I make it). Pour this over cooled cake, pierce cake with toothpick first..I don't do recipies, I scratch cook so I don't really measure.....

i am sitting here posting eating my pepitos and I would slip Molly one or two/ She cracks it, spits it out and eats the nut and the eats the shell anyway lol...now she is just eating the whole thing.

No more for Molly. This is a good snack for me. I just put the whole container here by the pc.

I'll be there in fifteen to enjoy with you pepitos and punkin cake.LOL Sounds wonderful, Hugs

Come on then....get some sunshine.

My kids make them with olive oil, cin., and sugar. We have a bowl in the cabinet right now. How long do they keep?

I guess they could keep for a while if kept in jar with a cover...

Yum! I am hungry for pumkin pie now!

Yum

OMG, I want to run out and buy pumpkins, dry seeds, do a pumpkin Bundt cake or bread and crack the pepitos between my teeth (I do that with red pistachios) after reading all this.... oh what fun with pumpkins! TFS! It looks soooo good! Yum! :thumbup: