October is all about pumpkins, pumpkins, and more pumpkins. 

As a teacher, I remember the children getting excited about the thoughts of Halloween.  Some children were afraid of masks and costumes, so in our public school, those were not allowed during the school day, but there were usually fall festivals held at night where students could dress up.  Carving pumpkins was a fun elementary school activity with some science and math lessons sprinkled in.  The teachers always carved the pumpkins, and the students would wash their hands and then reach in and get some pulp and seeds.  The giggles and screams that came from getting their hands wet and messy were fun memories for me. We would roast the pumpkin seeds for snack time. 

     My second favorite pie is pumpkin (with lemon meringue being my favorite!).  I like everything pumpkin….  pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin spice coffee to name a few.  Pumpkin is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so it is very healthy as well as being a low-calorie food. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found to date back to between 7000-5550 BC.  Now those are some old seeds! Scientists believe pumpkins originated in North America.  The word “pumpkin” means “large melon” in Greek. North Carolina produces nearly 30 million pounds of pumpkins each year.  National Pumpkin Day is October 26th, so celebrate with plenty of great pumpkin foods and fun activities.  

      This month’s recipe is Pumpkin Bread. This melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin bread is very moist and a great treat for breakfast.  If you are cooking gluten-free, you only need to substitute gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour.  I have included in parentheses the brand I use and recommend.  All gluten-free flours are not the same. Gluten-free flours may include everything from rice flours to nut flours to seed flours.  Different gluten-free flours will give you different baking results. 

Happy Halloween!  Blessings!

Peggy Isenhour

 

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour)

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs 

1 15 oz can solid packed pumpkin  

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Generously grease and flour two 8 x 4 loaf pans or four mini muffin pans.    In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set aside.  In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended.  Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  Continue beating for a few minutes until light and fluffy.  Beat in the pumpkin. Add the flour mixture and mix on low only until combined.  Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for about 65 minutes or mini loaf pans for about 25-30 minutes or until the cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let loaves cool in pans for 10 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack, and cool completely.  Bread can be frozen for up to 3 months.  After cooling, wrap in aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.