Hopi Pale Gray (or other) Squash Muffins

After posting a picture of muffins I was serving up with beef barley soup on our Facebook page Kneading Life/Mindful Homesteaders , I got a lot of private messages asking for the recipe so I thought I’d take a minute to transform it from the cryptic notes on a scrap of paper in my recipe box to a new home in the ether-worlds where it can be much more easily deciphered. If I was being honest though I’d have to admit that I’ll likely always defer to the tattered one with the splotches of egg and oil on it.

I count this recipe as a mindful one in the truest sense of the word. Darrell and I are always looking to use up what we have which includes – as year round as we can – the bounty from our summer garden. We aren’t opposed to buying butternut squash or even canned pumpkin but our first choice is to check the cupboards and the cold cellar: they’re mindful choices and just make good sense!

Hopi pale gray squash: roast it before making muffins!!

At this point in the year we’re still eating onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, and squashes that we’ve stored which means, technically, we still have fresh produce. Our stock is dwindling in terms of things we put up in Ball Jars like pickles, enchilada sauce, and canned peaches but we’re still savoring what’s there! When the last of the frozen berries have been thawed and devoured, maybe then it’ll be time for a banana from the grocery store which will probably, at that point, taste like a bit of heaven.

For this recipe, you can substitute pumpkin or any variety of butternut-type squash. We just happened to have the Hopi Pale Gray. You could use butter in this recipe as well but our granddaughter is dairy-free and the coconut oil works great. I promise you will not taste the coconut (which may be a plus or minus depending on how you feel about coconut!)