Things were cruising along great this year... Starbucks released the PSL a few days early (If you want to see how I celebrate that event, you can watch here) and I was ready for more. So I set off to the grocery store to buy a few cans of pumpkin, only to discover there were none in the usual spot, the baking aisle. I checked the canned vegetable and fruit aisle, and found nothing. "Oh," I thought. "Of course, they've moved it into the seasonal items. A little early, but it makes sense." But no. It was all, decked out with, like, chili and cheese dip for football season, or something equally asinine in light of the fact that, clearly, it was pumpkin season. Clearly. I asked the manager, who then delivered the terrible news. A shortage. Of canned pumpkin. Everywhere. Surely not. I went home. I looked online, and to my dismay, what that hateful manager said was true. See? I figured I'd outsmart the universe and get some on Amazon. Denied. Totally out. I did find some organic pumpkin, which I nixed, until I saw that regular cans of Libby's were going for as much as $5 on Ebay. So I bought a case of 12 of the organic for $24.
I put out a call on Facebook. I got reports from Texas, Ohio, Florida... no pumpkin. I even got a few cans donated from friends here in Atlanta, with a promise that they'd get a pumpkin treat in return. My organic pumpkin arrived, but I was ambivalent, having read it has a runnier consistency that makes baking difficult. I found some pumpkin pie mix in the freezer and turned it into a loaf of bread that just felt like a tease, really.
I was bummed. And here's why. My first child was born 5 years ago next week, and becoming a mother really rocked my world. In those first few weeks, when sleep was a memory and chaos was becoming our new reality, our friends and family really came through with us. They came and cooed over the baby, but more importantly, they brought food. David and I ate and ate and ate, and still had enough in the freezer that we didn't get through it all until after Christmas. I was basically consuming love and care in a time when I was trying to figure out how to care and love this little babe who was so new to us, and so unknown. I remember that love--in the form of my mom's sloppy joe casserole, Casey's chicken tetrazzini, Toni's ham and potatoes au gratin, Paula's pecan pie, and Dianne's chicken noodle soup so fondly.
But most of all, I remember Dawn's pumpkin bread. She makes it constantly, year-round, to eat and to give away, but I'd never had it before. I remember one night, the dead of night, perhaps 3 a.m. or so, when I'd just nursed Ada and gotten her to sleep for the 3rd or 4th time that night. I was hungry and I was a little scared, and I wandered into the kitchen. And I remember leaning over the counter and slicing a thick piece of that pumpkin bread and just... relishing it. It was so lush and full of flavor, and it somehow made that little moment perfect. I went back to sleep satisfied, for that instant, that everything would be okay.
Ever since then, me and pumpkin, we tight.
So you'll be glad to know that, about 10 days ago, I started hearing from friends, "I found pumpkin here." And "they had a few cans there." And then one magnificent day, I found 12 cans at Publix. I bought eight--four for me, four for Dawn. I left four for some other lucky soul. You'll also be glad to know that this past weekend I read that yes, the pumpkin shortage is over.
Still, every time I'm back at Publix, I check the shelf, and, finding a few cans of pumpkin, I slide one or two into my cart, just because I want to be sure I can re-live that perfect moment again. Just in case.
My current stash of pumpkin... minus the 12 cans of organic that I got off Amazon.com.
Lindsay's Modified Version of Dawn's Pumpkin Bread
I cut the sugar down from 3C to 2C. I tried cutting it more, but it's not as good. If you want to be truly decadent, use three cups. And I add a little lemon extract to all pumpkin baked goods; it makes it taste light and fresh.
Whisk together:
2 C sugar
3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg (I grate mine fresh)
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground cloves
Mix the above dry ingredients and make a well, then add:
1 C vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs
2/3 C water
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 t lemon extract
Mix well and pour into two greased and floured loaf pans.
Bake at 350 for 70 -75 minutes.
--Lindsay
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