Pumpkin Bread 

Preparation: 

I always questioned whether pumpkin was a fruit or a vegetable. However, this information has zero effect on me because my favorite food is pumpkin bread but only if my grandma makes it. This includes a can of pumpkin and thankfully does not require the knowledge of whether its a fruit or a vegetable. Everytime I walk into the doors of her home after a one hour long car ride I can always expect to see a wholesome loaf of pumpkin bread sitting on a fancy serving platter with a glass cover over it. As well as I can always expect to be greeted with a big hug from my grandma and a full meal ready to be prepared. No matter how unexpectedly we would show up, she would have all the ingredients prepped and measured out in glass tupperware with a pale yellow sticky note with the temperature and bake time. For the pumpkin bread it would say 350°F for 50 minutes. 

 Unfortunately, we used to only visit my grandma a few times a year, but that greatly increased my appreciation for when we did see her. However, this all changed in September of 2020 when my grandpa was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He immediately started chemo treatments and worked to fight off the cancer. This diagnosis crushed my grandmother and my entire family. Amidst this all, we all put on a brave face. We needed to be ready and be able to help as much as possible. The first time we came over after the diagnosis, my grandma still had everything prepared for the food she was going to make us, and of course some pumpkin bread. There was an infinite amount of tupperware all along her counters. All precisely measured out. 1 can pumpkin, 4 cracked eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, 3 cups sugar, 3.5 cups flour. 

While we were there we assisted in tasks my grandfather typically did that he was no longer able to do anymore. Then we followed the evening with conversations and making the meal, so tediously planned out. First step is to add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to a bowl. All these spices filled the room with an aroma that made me crave pumpkin spice season. It was spicy but sweet and smelled so crisp. On our way out my grandma handed me a bag. The bag contained a loaf of pumpkin bread in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. I was very excited to have some when we returned home. And, knowing my family it’d be gone before morning! 

The next step was to get a large bowl. In this case, I always knew my grandma would use her classy green and white bowls that have been around since I was born. Then in a large bowl mix pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, and sugar. Take the dry ingredients and incorporate those into the pumpkin mixture. Watching the two mixtures combine always makes me so excited. I will always be the kid to lick the bowl and to finally make the mixture means I can grab the spatula and start scraping the sides clean. 

The more severe the cancer got, the more times we visited. It went from three to four times a year to three to four times a week. My sister, who is just 3 years old then me, was working and going through her hardest year of schooling and my dad was in meetings all day. So that left me and my mom to drive up during online school and help my grandma take care of my grandpa. This was always challenging because we knew it was our responsibility to help and take care of my grandparents but coming to life felt so odd. However, I always knew as we left to make the journey home I received a festive bag. Of course, in spite of it all, I always knew what to expect, one loaf of pumpkin bread. 

Pumpkin bread. A food that when really thought about sounds a bit odd, but will forever remind me of the strength of my grandma and her ability to stay strong in a time of such hardships.