Squashapalooza

[LoneStranger]

Made a big batch of soup the other day which I'm currently dehydrating. This stuff is great alone and also makes a nice base for adding veggies or even meat. Took a few pics in case anyone is interested in seeing the process. A little work now will mean good eating on trail all next year.

http://lesstraveledby.net/2015/12/05/squashapalooza/

[tiptoe]

looks yummy and nutritious. thanks for posting.

[Kookork]

Simple and easy to make. Thank you for sharing your experiment with us.

What would you guess about the calorie/gram value of the dried powder?

[4Bears]

Looks great on a cool or cold night, maybe just add cold water when it is hot weather for a quick simple meal. Thanks for sharing!

[Dogwood]

Enjoyed your blog and post. GOOD to see someone eating with the seasons. Timely as I had pureed squash "gravy" over brown rice tonight. Not just a soup!

[squeezebox]

I never really liked squash, never hated it either. But I'll give a go again just for you. I'm thinking that just cleaning out the squash flesh and drying it would be enough cooking. Just turn it to squash powder.
Just thinking!!

[LoneStranger]

Simple and easy to make. Thank you for sharing your experiment with us.

What would you guess about the calorie/gram value of the dried powder?

My original response to that question was that I'd guess I had no idea

After pondering it for a bit I did some research and some rough math and came up with a very unscientific 12.8 calories per gram. Lots of good vitamins in there as well, but the fiber would kill you if you tried to live on this stuff. That is why I'm adding some hot peppers to the next batch to balance that out.

[Kookork]

My original response to that question was that I'd guess I had no idea

After pondering it for a bit I did some research and some rough math and came up with a very unscientific 12.8 calories per gram. Lots of good vitamins in there as well, but the fiber would kill you if you tried to live on this stuff. That is why I'm adding some hot peppers to the next batch to balance that out.

My guess is something like less than 2 calories per gram. healthy food yes but not a heavy calorie option by a long shot.

[LoneStranger]

My guess is something like less than 2 calories per gram. healthy food yes but not a heavy calorie option by a long shot.

I'd love to hear how you arrived at that number if you have some time to explain. The math I did was based on estimated weight of cooked produce multiplied by googled calorie content divided by weight of powder produced. Like I said, not real sciency, but our numbers are so far apart that I'm a bit perplexed where you think all those calories went.

[Just Bill]

Don't kill yourself on it... it's not an easy thing to do at home but your basic method is right.
If you can find an accurate calorie count of the raw food- just use that and divide by what it weighs when dried and assume nothing is lost.

A simple number I use is 60 cal per 1/4 cup dried on general veggies- using what else- general dried veggies- https://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/as...bleSoupMix.pdf

Unless you were a vegetarian and heavily basing your trail diet on veggies I wouldn't worry too much.

Excellent way to process lots of veggies or make soup bases or even flavorings for mashed taters or too bulk up ramen.
I like to roast the butternut squash in the oven then blend the whole thing (seeds and all). Saves alot of time when doing a bigger batch and you get more nutrition as a reward for your laziness. The oven roasting can make them very sweet.

I like tarragon, thyme and red pepper flakes too as an alternate to the "punkin" spice blend.

Very good in combo with bell peppers and black or navy beans to make a soup.

[Kookork]

I'd love to hear how you arrived at that number if you have some time to explain. The math I did was based on estimated weight of cooked produce multiplied by googled calorie content divided by weight of powder produced. Like I said, not real sciency, but our numbers are so far apart that I'm a bit perplexed where you think all those calories went.

Squash and zucchini and cauliflower are are low calorie vegetables. Only Potato is high calorie in your recipe .

Dried potato( like instant potato powder) is 3.5 calorie per gram . so if dried potato powder is 3.5 when it has more calorie than squash(close to 40% more) then dried squash powder should be more like 2 to 3 calorie per gram.

[LoneStranger]

Thanks for explaining your thought process Kookork. I can see where you'd come up with a very different number using that method

Made another batch yesterday, still no zucchini, but I did add in two poblanos and two habaneros along with a healthy dollop of maple syrup. The heat was great when fresh cooked but the drying process usually intensifies spice so I'm curious to see how hot it is when reconstituted.