Austrians originally developed pumpkins that have seeds without hulls.
Hull-less pumpkin seeds are marketed as naked pumpkin seeds or in some cases as semi-naked seeds, although those terms are misleading. There are two varieties of pumpkin seeds, those with thick hulls and those with thin hulls. Some thin-hulled seeds are so thin as to be unnoticeable when they are eaten, hence the term naked seed. Most commercial seed companies sell one or more varieties of naked-seed pumpkins.
Early Varieties
Plant breeders in Gleisdorf, Austria, pursuing a seed good for extracting oil used for flavor in cooking, introduced the Styrian hull-less pumpkin in 1970. Two years later, USDA plant breeder Alan K. Stoner introduced Lady Godiva, a Styrian hybrid.
Popular Naked Varieties
The Lady Godiva, the most popular naked-seed variety, is yellow with green stripes. Its vines can stretch from 10 to 20 feet. A bushel of Lady Godiva's green seeds, which are about three times larger than dehulled sunflower seeds, weighs about 43 pounds. You can eat its flesh raw.
The Kakai is a hybrid developed in Japan. A Kakai has gray skin with orange stripes and averages from 5 to 8 lbs. It yields naturally blue naked seeds.
Agronomists at the University of Florida also recommends naked-seed varieties eat all, hull-less and sweet nut; streaker is said to be good for cooking, making jack-o'-lanterns and for its naked seeds.
Naked Seeds, Good Flesh
Reporter Jan Wiese-Fales, covering the Missouri State Fair, reports that varieties of naked-seed pumpkins developed both for their flesh and naked seeds include streaker, trick or treat, tricky jack and triple treat. Wiese-Fales says the tricky jack and triple treat are the best combination of good looks, tasty flesh and naked seeds. Triple treat pumpkins, orange in color, weigh about 5 lbs.
Semi-Naked Seeds
You can eat semi-naked seeds, but when you eat them, you will notice their slightly fibrous hulls.
The baby bear, a pumpkin that weighs about 2 lbs. and produces semi-naked seeds, is often used as a bowl to serve chili and soups.
The snack jack is larger and more round than a baby bear; it, too, produces a semi-naked seed.
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