home Pumpkin Seed Oil Production
From the seed in the soil to the oil in the bottle
Pumpkin Seed Oil is created by cold pressing the seeds of the Styrian 'Oil Pumpkin' (lat. Cucurbita pepo. Var. Styriaca). The special features of this pumpkin variety is a soft, green skinned seed; which add to the sumptuous colour and taste of our PSO.
Sowing/Growing
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During spring the seeds are sown into prepared
soil, the processes we use require minimal
till and incorporate legume cover crops to
help minimize weed infestations The good
soil, plentiful sunshine and quality water
in the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland
(also known as Cairns Highlands) provide
perfect growing conditions for the Oil Pumpkin
Harvesting
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Years ago the seeds were taken out of
the pumpkins by hand and it was often
a time of family celebration, where parents,
grandparents and children would all gather
in the field and complete the task together.
In the present day this process is completed
with a special harvester that reduces
some of the production cost of employing
many laborers, as well as making the
process much faster. As with any crop
the yield is highly dependent on growing
conditions such as climate and seasonal
variation, this can influence gross yield
which falls between 600-1000kg of dried
seeds per hectare. After washing, the
seeds are dried in the sun,there is some
evidence this practice endows additional
energy to the seeds. The sun-dried seeds
are then stored in a cool room at 8-10
degrees, which keeps them at optimum
quality for pressing.
See
how the harvester works. (QuickTime
player required)
Production of the “pumpkin seed oil”
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The harvested seeds are cleaned
and dried, they are now ready for
grinding. During roasting constant
stirring is required, this part of
the process is the most important
for achieving the highest quality
product. The ground and roasted
seeds are now known as “mash”. We
then cold press the mash, to extract
the oil. This process preserves
the oil and brings out the unique nutty
taste. The roasting process is crucial
to the quality level of the oil. If
the timing or temperature is not exact
then the taste will be completely different,
getting this right is a question of
the oil maker’s experience. The roasted
slurry is now ready to be transferred
to a perforated cylinder where it is
pressed to produce the delicious, dark-green
and nutty tasting Pumpkin Seed Oil.
The oil is then stored in stainless
steel tanks and rests for a few days.
During this resting time any small particles left in the oil will settle on the
bottom of the tank, the Pumpkin Seed Oil is now ready for bottling.
