Are pumpkin rinds/peels OK to eat???.....

[S B]

Today, I solar baked a small pumpkin (cut in half and stuffed with a rice & veggie filling seasoned mainly with sage -- UMMMM GOOD!) and it cooked up so tender that I ended up eating the peeling/rind, too.

I gave the pumpkin a through scrubbing/washing/rinsing before I cut/stuffed/baked it and it was NOT waxed (like some winter squashes are), so I figured it would be OK to eat the peeling/rind.

Anyone know FOR SURE???

Thanks!

[SusanV]

Hi SB! Actually, this page says yes!

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Pumpkin

I say more power to you. There's got to be a lot of fiber in that peel.

[S B]

I had NO adverse effects from all of that fiber -- but I have been McDing to some degree for quite a while and totally (mostly MWL) for over 4 years and I guess my system is used to a lot of fiber.

Thanks for replying. All recipes/information I had ever seen about pumpkins said to discard the peel (I compost). Now, I know it is edible.

By the way, I have to MWL to keep the weight I lost off because I have volume eating tendencies -- especially when stressed. So, it looks like I will be MWLing (and eating LOTS of fiber!) for the rest of my life -- and that is FINE with me! Eating other than MWL style would seem strange and almost undesireable to me, now.