drumminmama's magic winter veggies crockpot stew

Hey all...snow was reported in Monarch Pass (some 200 miles from me) last weekend, a sign that while I still have the windows open, the fans can be off at night.
So I have started thinking toward fall, if not winter.
This "recipie" is a throw together that worked last year...feel free to add, modify, delete and play with it as you will.

Ingredients:
parsnips
carrots
cauliflower
potatoes/sweet potatoes
onions/ garlic cloves (I call these veggies, not spices)
kale
spices and herbs relevant to the taste you are after. I go toward Indian subcontinent-style, so garam masala, cardamom pods, cumin, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, whole chiles.


fill crockpot half to 3/4 full of what you have except the kale. It will go in toward the end (If cooking this while away, saute the kale and add it when serving. This method allows colorful red cabbage or more delicate greens, too)
cover, barely, with water. This is not a swimming pool.
add spices. I LOVE garam masala and a few toasted whole but bruised spices. Be generous at the beginning a s many will cook down. Herbs should be added at the end, same reason. Chiles can be added here for infusion, with a crushed pod at the end (warning, I LOVE spice heat and complexity)
Tumeric for color. Saffron is too delecate for this. use it in the rice to serve it with.
cook for 6 hours on high 8 on low.
My cp is ancient (harvest orange!) and has these two only.
You probably know your particular cp best.
Veggie chunck size matters: small for a fast cook. larger for crisper results. add tough greens a couple hours before serving. More delicate greens can be sauted and addded as I noted above.
I like this best when the water has cooked into a sort of gravy.
I wil reduce it in a pan sometimes, adding balsemic vingar and delicate flavors at this point.
serve with brown basmati rice (with raisins for Indian flair) or whole grain breads.
yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm