I usually just leave them out on a paper plate for a week or so, and swish them around every now and then so they don't stick to it. Get all the stringy pieces of pumpkin off first, and you may even want to rinse them in a colander.

Maybe you could try to wash the mold off, redry, and see if the seeds develop it again. It might just be on the outside, but I'd plant more than enough seeds just in case.

The way I dry pumpkin seeds: I wash the "goop" off of them over a colander, rinsing well between my hands, then put them on one of our ceramic dinner plates. When they are really dry, I scrape them off the plate and put them into a small dish to dry for a few more weeks before putting them into a seed packet.

The first time I saved pumpkin seeds, I put them on paper towel. The seeds were permanently stuck to the paper, and what was worse, the seed coats got moldy. I couldn't trade them in that condition, but I saved them for when I have enough garden space.

As for your seeds, a little mold might not be such a bad thing, provided you let them dry out completely, so that the rotting does not continue.

Pumpkins actually grow best when surrounded by rotting pulp and decomposing materials. (Just make sure the pile isn't too hot, or it'll cook everything.) The last few years, I have not bothered to plant pumpkins. Instead, I merely allowed whatever sprouted in the compost pile to grow undisturbed. To keep the dog out, we surrounded our pile with 4 foot tall field fence. Makes a great pumpkin trellis. Free food and fall decorations, with virtually no effort!

I have read about using hydrogen peroxide to rescue rotting seeds. You might rinse your seeds with hydrogen peroxide if the mold appears to be taking over.

I think cracks are a concern, because the seed might get too dry and no longer germinate.

What I do is wash them in a colinder (I know my spelling sucks), and then let them drain for about an hour. After that I take some paper towel and lay the seeds out in rows and place the whole batch in a dark dry area. Generally an unused dresser drawer works great.

Wow, I just finished an article with step by step directions for saving pumpkin, squash and gourd seeds. Rather than retype it, I will provide the link below. I have successfully saved seed for many years and yet I still learned a lot by joining a seed saving club in my area two years ago. So, look in your area and see if you can find one. It is very interesting once you get going.

The article is on my garden blog...

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden, Tools & Seed Shack Blog

@ farmboots... The blog site has been removed