The Last Pumpkin in Jena
At least, I hope it's a pumpkin. It doesn't look like the "sugar pumpkin" that I was looking for, and it doesn't look like the kind of pumpkin used for Jack O'Lanterns, but surely it's some variety of pumpkin. I hope.
Tomorrow night, Michael and I (with the help of our friend Laura) will be cooking a traditional American Thanksgiving meal at the home of a family that we met through church. There will be about a dozen people there, and it is our host's birthday, so I'm a little bit nervous. We won't actually have to cook the turkey; due to time constraints, that was purchased pre-cooked from a nearby farm. We will be making mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and, for desert, a pumpkin pie.
I had just about given up on the pumpkin pie. A few weeks ago, I saw a big pile of pumpkins in the produce section of our grocery store. Excellent, I thought, I can get a pumpkin here for our pie come Thanksgiving. I have never actually made pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin, Libby has always taken care of that part of the process for me. Last year, however, I had my first taste of a pie made from fresh pumpkin, and I'm afraid there's no going back. So that was the plan: fresh, homemade pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, when we went shopping yesterday for tomorrow's meal, there were no pumpkins to be found. Word on the street (or, rather, in the aisle) is that the season is over here. Alright, no problem, I'll just get some canned pumpkin.
I couldn't find it yesterday, so I went to a few new shops today, to no avail. Then I went back to the first store, I'm not exactly sure why, and tried again. Finally I just asked a woman who worked in the store if they sold pumpkin puree. (You would have delayed this seemingly inevitable move, too, if you had to pose this question in German and you were a sleepy English speaker.) She looked at me as if I was crazy, and told me that they only sell them whole--and the season is over.
Truth be told, she was not quite right. I found two manifestations of pumpkin in that grocery store. First, there was cubed pumpkin--available in a jar floating in a sweet & sour mixture. I couldn't imagine making that work in a pie. Then, as I was leaving, I saw what sure looked to be pumpkin puree...in the baby food aisle. Still, puree is puree, right? I took a closer look. Sure enough, there was a pumpkin on the cover...but what was that next to the pumpkin? Aah, Chicken. Yes, well, that would work for the slightly-less-traditional pumpkin and chicken pie, but probably not what I had in mind.
So I quit and decided to make apple pie. Not knowing which kind of apples to get, I left feeling pretty dejected. Halfway home I came upon the outdoor produce stands that often pop-up in the afternoons in Jena. I nearly walked right past it, then I did a double take and, I am embarrassed to admit, a very small dance. The pumpkin (I hope) shown above was sitting in a big box, next to another tiny pumpkin. I picked it up and the man said "Ah, the last one!" It turns out pumpkins are not cheap in Jena, but I found one!
You will no doubt have noticed by now that my pumpkin was not really the very last pumpkin in Jena; after all, I left the little tiny one in the box. Still, it was the last pumpkin of any real consequence, and "The Last Pumpkin of Any Real Consequence in Jena" would be a rather unwieldy title.
At least, I hope it's a pumpkin. It doesn't look like the "sugar pumpkin" that I was looking for, and it doesn't look like the kind of pumpkin used for Jack O'Lanterns, but surely it's some variety of pumpkin. I hope.
Tomorrow night, Michael and I (with the help of our friend Laura) will be cooking a traditional American Thanksgiving meal at the home of a family that we met through church. There will be about a dozen people there, and it is our host's birthday, so I'm a little bit nervous. We won't actually have to cook the turkey; due to time constraints, that was purchased pre-cooked from a nearby farm. We will be making mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and, for desert, a pumpkin pie.
I had just about given up on the pumpkin pie. A few weeks ago, I saw a big pile of pumpkins in the produce section of our grocery store. Excellent, I thought, I can get a pumpkin here for our pie come Thanksgiving. I have never actually made pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin, Libby has always taken care of that part of the process for me. Last year, however, I had my first taste of a pie made from fresh pumpkin, and I'm afraid there's no going back. So that was the plan: fresh, homemade pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, when we went shopping yesterday for tomorrow's meal, there were no pumpkins to be found. Word on the street (or, rather, in the aisle) is that the season is over here. Alright, no problem, I'll just get some canned pumpkin.
I couldn't find it yesterday, so I went to a few new shops today, to no avail. Then I went back to the first store, I'm not exactly sure why, and tried again. Finally I just asked a woman who worked in the store if they sold pumpkin puree. (You would have delayed this seemingly inevitable move, too, if you had to pose this question in German and you were a sleepy English speaker.) She looked at me as if I was crazy, and told me that they only sell them whole--and the season is over.
Truth be told, she was not quite right. I found two manifestations of pumpkin in that grocery store. First, there was cubed pumpkin--available in a jar floating in a sweet & sour mixture. I couldn't imagine making that work in a pie. Then, as I was leaving, I saw what sure looked to be pumpkin puree...in the baby food aisle. Still, puree is puree, right? I took a closer look. Sure enough, there was a pumpkin on the cover...but what was that next to the pumpkin? Aah, Chicken. Yes, well, that would work for the slightly-less-traditional pumpkin and chicken pie, but probably not what I had in mind.
So I quit and decided to make apple pie. Not knowing which kind of apples to get, I left feeling pretty dejected. Halfway home I came upon the outdoor produce stands that often pop-up in the afternoons in Jena. I nearly walked right past it, then I did a double take and, I am embarrassed to admit, a very small dance. The pumpkin (I hope) shown above was sitting in a big box, next to another tiny pumpkin. I picked it up and the man said "Ah, the last one!" It turns out pumpkins are not cheap in Jena, but I found one!
You will no doubt have noticed by now that my pumpkin was not really the very last pumpkin in Jena; after all, I left the little tiny one in the box. Still, it was the last pumpkin of any real consequence, and "The Last Pumpkin of Any Real Consequence in Jena" would be a rather unwieldy title.
1 comment:
Hope all went well with your Thanksgiving dinner and that the Pumpkin pie was great.
Also, I wanted to invite you both to a Connexxion Information Meeting after the second service church on Sunday. We will be talking about the last years activities and things to come. We have invited many folks from the church and would love for to attend. Lunch is on us.
Have a great weekend and Happy Turkey Day.
Jeff Davis
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