thankful for pumpkin bread and you.

Here, a virtual loaf of pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and a recipe in case you want to make the real thing.

But more than that,  a note to say thank you. Last February when I left my position at the farm to work independently, it felt sort of like flopping off the side of a cliff. Exhilarating and terrifying all at once. I’m still figuring things out and I’m not sure what the future of this space or my career will look like, but I’m awfully grateful to have all of you reading my tea leaves along with me. Your coming back to this space day after day has been incredibly uplifting, even in this year’s most difficult moments.

I’m also incredibly thankful for the sponsors helping to support this space and for the good people who have given me opportunities to write and take photographs. Being surrounded by a community of people who value hard work is the only thing that allows for any of this to happen.

Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking


3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
{As always, I winged the spices. A little of this, a little of that, enough nutmeg until I didn’t want to grate anymore}.
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups pumpkin*
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar (the originally recipe called for 3. I used two and thought it was great)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
As many chocolate chips as you’d like


*Details on roasting your own pumpkin, here.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter two loaf pans (9x5x3), dust with flour
2. Whisk flour, spices, baking soda, and salt
3. In another bowl, whisk pumpkin and oil until combined. Add sugar and whisk again, follow with eggs, whisked one at a time. Add vanilla. (The original recipe calls for adding 2/3 cup room temp water at this stage. I didn’t). Add chocolate chips.
4. Fold dry ingredients into the wet. Try not to overmix.
5. Bake in the center of the oven, for an hour and 15 minutes, or so. A toothpick will come out clean, when done!
6. Cool on racks for 15 minutes, dump out of your pans and gobble.

Other Thanksgiving-y posts:
Cranberry Bread
Cranberry Harvest
Pumpkin Pie
Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash, roasted and mashed
Mulling Spices
Boiled Apple Cider Syrup
Apple and Onion Hand Pies
A Thanksgiving Outfit
Thanksgiving in France (we were so young. so was this blog).