I have been baking pumpkins to make pies and pumpkin bread. I have been just roasting the seeds with a bit of salt but really haven't enjoyed the results. There is a nasty outer shell. How do professional pepino packagers get rid of it?

Alice, I'm guessing you mean pepitas. I can't answer your question, but I think Melinda has a recipe. Go to Recipes on her site, and type pepitas in the search field.

Alice, you and I are on the same page.

To figure out how to roast winter squash seeds without dealing with the nastiness of shelling them (since I am not one who enjoys the 'fiber' of the shells) remains a mystery.

There are some varieties of squash (rather large fruits) that are grown just for the low-/no-fiber seeds, and the flesh, not tasty, is discarded.

The only solution I can come up with is to grow squash myself. There are varieties with 'n a k e d' or 'hulless' seeds. Here's one that talks about Baby Bear Pumpkin - http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/91409/

See also the Austrian Oil Seed and Lady Godiva "pumpkins" at http://www.thelostseed.com.au/page38.htm

Have fun with this! Hope your climate supports this kind of 'farming.'