seeds?

[Truth Frog]

I'm not sure about what seeds are good to eat, either for taste or because of some toxin. I've searched for some answers, haven't found much. Are the following good to eat raw? Do any need to be sprouted first, or should I avoid sprouting some?

* Pumpkin seeds - I want to add them to smoothies and crusts, is the hull ok?
* Melon seeds (Cantaloupe/honeydew/watermelon/etc) - can I blend the seeds in my smoothie? Bitter?
* Avocado pit - I remember reading somewhere about someone adding these to smoothies on a regular basis.
* Apple seeds - I know they contain arsenic, no problem blending one or two a day with the seeds?
* Lemon seeds - I've been peeling the outer skin off lemons and blending them with the white skin on, I think they make things bitter. Could it be seeds doing that?

It can be tough figuring this stuff out.

[Sheryl]

Here's my take on your questions!

* Pumpkin seeds - Better to buy them raw without the hull... it's a little woody to use in food preparation.
* Melon seeds (Cantaloupe/honeydew/watermelon/etc) - I love blending them in. With a high speed blender they just disappear and are nice flavoured too. Some save them separately and make something like nut milk from them.
* Avocado pit - I simply can't imagine using it. It's hard and I've tasted it and not exactly been thrilled. They grow into nice house plants though... a great activity for kids. Just put three toothpicks into the edge and support on a glass of water until it roots. Then plant.
* Apple seeds - They are rumored to have cyanide, but it's actually B17 which from all studies is fine (easy to research online). I use whole apples all the time.
* Lemon seeds - Citrus seeds and also the white pith are quite bitter. I usually remove both.

Hope this helps!
Sheryl

[Ama]

Sheryl... curious about the woody comment for pumpkin seeds. Do you mean they taste woody? Can you elaborate? I was wondering why not too many recipe's called for them yet they are supposed to be so high in zinc and good for you...

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Ama,

I'm not Sheryl (obviosly) but from reading her above comment, I think she was referring to the texture of the hull of the pumpkin seed and not the seed itself. There are quite a few recipes that call for the seeds, though. If you do a search, there was even a thread where they talked about blending pumpkin seeds into the ice cream and how it made it really creamy, etc.

[Sheryl]

You're right! I was assuming from the first post that she was thinking of using pumpkin seeds in the shell in recipes! I read it again and it still reads like that. I know they are commonly sold that way in many stores....

[Sheryl]

Actually to elaborate...

I've never really liked pumpkin seeds.... until recently I tried fresher organic ones. They were delicious. I've come to the realization that the funky taste I didn't enjoy with pumpkins seeds was probably due to them being old and going off. I'm quite particular now about which ones I'll eat! My favourite are so green they are almost black (as opposed to light green). There's nothing magic about the colour, but the importer who brings the almost black ones into Australia must have a much higher quality control standard.

Still though... I'm not a big fan of them.

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Truth Frog]

Yeah, I was wondering about the hulls. I eat green, raw, shelled pumpkin seeds all the time, love them. I was just scooping out an organic pumpkin the other day and I have a pretty big handful of seeds I don't want to waste.

Thanks for all the other replies, especially the advice on lemons/melons.

[Bobbie]

I love pumpkin seeds!
There's a pumpkin seed cheese/pate in Juliano's book that I adore.
I also love pesto made from them with coriander instead of basil. I use that in Vanessa's Carrot and Parsnip Fettucine and for pesto-stuffed-mushrooms. (We just had some today, yum)
I also grind them with dates in pies/cakes instead of nuts.
There's something else I make with them that I love but I can't remember what it is.

[Bobbie]

The Native Americans used melon and squash seeds as a cure for parasites/worms.
Lemon seeds are always being included in my recipes when I squeeze lemon juice into them (I'm usually too lazy to squeeze the juice into a separate bowl first), and I don't think they affect the taste.

All seeds contain some toxins, so some people say not to eat any, but most nutritionists say they're a superfood, full of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

Sesame seeds are full of calcium, sunflower seeds are a good source of magnesium, pumpkin seeds very high in zinc, flax seeds highest source of omega 3,
hemp seeds the best balance of omega 3,6 and 9.

If you soak the seeds for 24 hours and throw away the soaking water it will get rid of the enzyme inhibitors. You don't need to sprout them. I usually don't soak them first, I know I should. Chimpanzees don't either so it can't be that vital.

All seeds except flax can be made into milk, I like sesame best. If you want to make a milk shake but don't have time to make milk just add hemp seeds and water - no need to strain.

Raw-foodists use sunflower seeds to make refried beans http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/SunflowerRefriedBeans.htm

If you have a dehydrator -
sunflower sausages (sunflower and flax seeds)http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22568&highlight=sunflower+sausages
onion bread (sunflower and flax seeds)
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1149&highlight=bread

Flax Porridge - soak flax seeds overnight. then grind with dates or other sweetener until all seeds are broken down.
Flax Weetabix - grind unsoaked flax seeds. Blend with apple, banana, sweetener.

Ground sesame seeds (tahini) are used in a lot of recipes - I can't really remember what. There's hoummus, and falafel, can't remember what else.

I usually use seeds in Storm's Tabouli instead of almonds, because there are so many other things I want to use almonds for.

Storm's Raw Tabouli (Our special staple "green stuff" recipe):

* one bunch cilantro
* one bunch parsley
* one bunch green onions
* two tomatoes
* one avocado
* half a cup of raw almonds
* cold-pressed olive oil
* unrefined sea salt
* raw honey
* half a lemon

Chop up cilantro, parsley, green onions, avocados and tomatoes in a bowl. Blend almonds to a fine flour in blender and add to bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of honey, and a teaspoon of salt. Change it up each time by adding a different vegetable/herb like corn, broccoli, or fresh basil, or a different spice like Italian or Mexican seasonings. Serves 3.

[Truth Frog]

Wow, thanks. It's going to take some time to try all these recipes, the tabouli sounds good. I just found smoothies so I'm still expirementing with that. I'm having a blast, it's really hard to make a bad one! (although I have done it)