Granny Reese's Pumpkin Bread

With fall in the air, I thought it fitting to share a favorite fall recipe, Granny Reese's Pumpkin Bread.  Granny Reese (my great-grandfather was Reese) was my great-grandmother, she was Mary Jane DeGraffenreid to others outside the family.  She was born in 1888, the oldest daughter of 10 children and lived to be 95 years old.  A seamstress extraordinaire, she sewed clothes for others, often with only a picture from a catalog as a pattern, as the story goes.  She also produced beautiful quilts, my favorite being the Wedding Ring Quilt made as a wedding gift for her daughter, my grandmother.  She also mastered tatting and crocheting. Granny taught me how to crochet with my right hand (I am left- handed) and I still have my first granny square afghan she helped me make.  The workmanship is not perfect, but the memories are!  

But this is supposed to be about her recipe for pumpkin bread!  Granny's pumpkin bread was moist and I can still remember the comfort that the taste of cloves and cinnamon brought and the delicious crunch of the pecans.  Her loaves were always wrapped in foil and tasted their best when a slice was warmed and had a generous spread of butter on top.

Here is a picture of her hand-written recipe.    As you can see, the recipe is old and has helped to make a few loaves over the years.  I usually don't put raisins in my pumpkin bread, but that is personal preference really.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and savor the memories, moments and flavors of fall.  I'm thankful for Granny Reese who instilled in me a love of fabric, sewing and crocheting ~ and of course pumpkin bread!