You know I love my slow cooker (crock pot). Recently I found a new trick that it can do and it has changed my vegetable life. It is so simple I could hardly believe it, but then simple is usually best.

Cook your pumpkin or butternut squash in the slow cooker. Whole. With nothing else. Not even water.

Still life, butternut squash and bougainvillea bracts, edited in Waterlogue

I have tried it both on the high setting, for 4-5hrs and overnight on the low setting. Equally good results.

METHOD

Wash your pumpkin on the outside so that it is free of dirt or residue. Put it into the slow cooker for whatever time you choose. Put the lid on and let the magic happen.

When it is finished, lift it out with a large spoon underneath it, onto a plate or cutting board. Cut it in half to let it cool enough so you can touch it. Scoop out the seeds, scoop the remaining flesh off the skin and you’re set to go. We eat it as pumpkin mash with a little salt and butter. I freeze it in amounts that are convenient for recipes or serving sizes. The water that cooks out through the skin of the pumpkin is sweet and similar to maple syrup, but lighter. I use it to add back into the puree if it needs moisture for a particular recipe. The amount varies depending on the pumpkin.

Cooked pumpkin/squash with pumpkin water that has sweated out through skin–sweet and delicious

beads of sweetness

cooling for scooping

pumpkin liquor, water that cooks out through the skin is sweet

And I made this… simple little gluten free Pumpkin Bar/slice from Elana’s Pantry here. Very toothsome.

Elanas Pantry Pumpkin Bars

Happy November everyone!

Special thanks to Celia for hosting our monthly kitchen get together. Visit her through the link and find other interesting kitchens around the world.