A couple mornings ago I was doing my usual dog walk on the Monkey Mountain trail, and right where the trail meets the road to the Imanta resort, I found a couple of random squashes that had fallen off a truck or a bicycle (it’s amazing what folks will try to carry on a bike or moto). One squash had been smashed, and while it wasn’t a pumpkin, the insides appeared to be very pumpkin-like. The other squash was in perfect condition. Ground score!! It was huge, at least half a meter. I was only half a mile from home, so I balanced the squash in one hand and the two dog leashes in the other, and I made it home with my prize.

I hadn’t had a lot of experience with pumpkins, or any winter squash. I do have some good recipes, and my friend Aeron makes a killer chili with squash. But the majority of my squash experience is pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, and that usually comes from a can.

Here in Mexico, all squash is called calabaza, and Mexicans do enjoy it, either roasted or in soups. They don’t really do pumpkin pie here, which is a shame. I didn’t make any last year, because we had just started the keto diet and I didn’t know how to make a sugar-free pie. This Thanksgiving, I am all over this. Even though I still don’t own an oven, I learned how to make a sugar-free pumpkin pie. The link to that adventure is at the bottom of this page. Pay de calabaza, yum!

The other thing I have to consider is because I’m in Mexico, it’s harder to find canned pumpkin here. Maybe Costco has it, but wouldn’t it be better to make my own? (Spoiler alert: yes, homemade is so much better.)

Yet another thing to consider is I am learning to live off the grid, and if I really want to be a hard core off-gridder: I should be growing my own calabazas. Intellectually, I know this. But I am still learning how to grow my own food, and right now I am focused on cauliflower and jalapeños. However, I am putting calabazas on my list of foods to try growing next. People do seem to grow it successfully here in Mexico. And I have some seeds now, so nothing is stopping me from sticking a few in an egg crate full of dirt and seeing what happens.

Later…

I did a few things with this giant squash.

• Some of it was steamed on a trivet in the Instant Pot, and pureed for a keto pumpkin pie recipe. The resulting pie wasn’t as bright of an orange, but it tasted just as good. AND I made the pie without an oven- in my Instant Pot! Link to my adventure.
• I also made honey roasted squash in my toaster oven. Instead of the spices they recommended, I sprinkled some cayenne pepper on mine. If you like spicy, this will be an amazing flavor combination with the honey and salt. NOT keto, but soooo good. Warning: link to this recipe goes off-site.
• I also made this keto chicken squash recipe in my Instant Pot. It was delicious. Link goes off-site.
• I attempted to roast the seeds in the toaster oven with olive oil and tajin. I overcooked them a little…300 degrees for 35 minutes would have been perfect. But even a tad burned, they were crispy and delicious!
• And finally, I  kept a few extra seeds, and I’ll see if those germinate.

The skins didn’t even go to waste! The little bits went into the compost bin, and the big pieces became treats for the neighbor’s mules. Hooray for the sustainable squash!