Gingerbread Quick Bread with Lemon Glaze
Gingerbread Quick Bread with Lemon Glaze

The conversation was about the difficulty of eating healthy while poor. I had just shared my favorite article on the topic and a few friends were chiming in with their own experiences. Then one of my friends said: “People should eat healthy even if they’re poor. They could always just plant a vegetable garden. Seeds are cheap.” It amazes me how often this suggestion gets thrown around willy-nilly, but somehow I hear it every time I discuss food insecurity.

Gentle explanations of why this would be a difficult solution for plenty of people were met with more and more fervent assertions of why if they really TRIED . . . and if they CARED . . . and if they were willing to WORK . . .

I explained about my former student’s aunt: she was a sweet nurse who had taken in three of her sister’s babies when her sister couldn’t care for them. She worked 12+ hour days in addition to managing each child’s different abilities. Fixing dinner after her exhausting day was hard enough; how could she also tend to a garden? I can see her face now, ashamed to admit she was sometimes too tired to help the kids with homework. It makes me upset that anyone would say she wasn’t doing her very best.

I explained about myself. I’ve tried without success to keep plants alive. Rosemary, thyme, the plants marketed as “unkillable.” Even a cactus. In the words of comedian Demetri Martin, that means I am “less nurturing than a desert.” And I have time and money to throw at plants to make them grow (I should probably try throwing water instead), so what about people who don’t?

I explained about the myriad other obstacles. Even if you were able to grow a tomato or two, how do you know what to do with a tomato? where do you get the cooking equipment? how do you obtain the other ingredients? where do you find the time and motivation to cook after a long, stressful day and with other things you should be doing? or should poor people just shut up, eat their raw tomato, and be thankful for it?

My friend’s response was something along the lines of, “Well, I just think we should look for solutions.” And the thing is, I agree. I realized that the issue was policing vs. support in terms of our search for the right answer.

Gingerbread Quick Bread with Lemon Glaze

My friend was policing: “Those people should plant a garden because they should eat healthy food.” Policing is judgmental and prescriptive. It’s pointing fingers at a group you’ve separated from yourself (“Others”). It’s a deep-seated inertia: no one’s input could shake your certain belief in your position. It starts a fight instead of a dialogue.

Others choose to support: “Let’s do some research about whether a community garden would be a valuable way of partnering with people in this area who may struggle to eat healthy.” Support is humble and flexible. It’s allying with a group because you recognize a common humanity. Support acknowledges that it might be misguided and seeks out education to constantly adjust its course. It starts a dialogue instead of a fight, and seeks a productive outcome.

Policing vs. supporting is a tone issue, but it’s also a mindset issue. When I hear policing, I hear people who care more about being right than they care about the outcome. When I hear support, I see alliances being built that can start a movement.

Gingerbread Quick Bread with Lemon Glaze

This post isn’t about whether or not poor people make good gardeners. It’s about how we come at a situation when we’re outsiders. When you’re not affected by a given struggle, it’s easy to pontificate in a sanctimonious way about how that struggle should be handled. It’s easy to dismiss that the struggle even exists. I’ve seen all of this in the days following the refusal of grand juries to indict the police officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Even those who agree that racism and misuse of force exist want to dictate a solution rather than ally with those who are affected by these issues. They want to tell protestors how to protest. They want to speak over the people of color who are speaking.

What would support look like instead of policing? Here’s a great video that discusses how to be an ally. For us white folks, it involves acknowledging that we aren’t the “default American citizens” and our voice shouldn’t always be the loudest just because. We don’t have all the answers or some kind of special data to understand someone else’s unique experience. So we have to listen with humility.

Here are some articles that I’ve been “listening” to, and a recipe for Gingerbread Quick Bread with Lemon Glaze to enjoy with coffee as you go through them.

One year ago: Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)
Two years ago: Biscoff Spread Sandy Buddies (Cinnamon Muddy Buddies!)
Three years ago: Make-Ahead Gingerbread Coffee Cake with Cranberry Pecan Streusel
Four years ago: Southern Pimento Cheese with Lavash Crackers
Five years ago: Roast Chicken and Onion Jam Panini with Sweet Potato Fries

Gingerbread Quick Bread with Lemon Glaze


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking, using gingerbread spice ratio from Averie Cooks
Yield: 1 loaf

If you do homemade gifts for Christmas, here’s the perfect idea! The foil steaming technique means that this gingerbread quick bread is moist and delicious, and the lemon glaze is the perfect sweet zing on top! I may or may not have eaten my slice with a scoop of lemon ice cream (I did.)

Gingerbread Quick Bread Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsulphered light molasses
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients:
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1-3 teaspoons milk
lemon zest

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with a square of greased parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, oil, molasses, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Run a thin knife around the sides of the bread to loosen it in the pan before letting it sit and cool for just 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a long sheet of aluminum foil. Immediately fold the foil over the bread and secure very tightly to trap the steam in. Let the loaf cool inside the foil for at least an hour. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and set the loaf on a serving platter. Pour the glaze over the top, garnish with a little extra lemon zest, and serve.

by | 22 Comments

22 Comments on Gingerbread Quick Bread with Lemon Glaze

  2. Sarah @ Bonjour Sucre
    December 8, 2014 at 3:40 am (10 years ago)

    Yum! That looks great – I love gingerbread. Perfect for Christmas.

    Reply
  3. TidyMom
    December 8, 2014 at 7:43 am (10 years ago)

    this flavor combo sounds incredible!! going on my quick bread list!

    Reply
  4. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
    December 8, 2014 at 8:00 am (10 years ago)

    Julie, you raise some very important topics and issues here my friend. . love what you wrote about policing versus supporting: “Support is humble and flexible. It’s allying with a group because you recognize a common humanity. Support acknowledges that it might be misguided and seeks out education to constantly adjust its course. It starts a dialogue instead of a fight, and seeks a productive outcome.” I truly love this! We live in a messed up world so let’s hope that when given the opportunity, we choose supporting.

    Reply
    • Jenn
      December 8, 2014 at 9:27 am (10 years ago)

      Thank you!!!

      Reply
  5. Nicole, RD
    December 8, 2014 at 8:54 am (10 years ago)

    Yummm! Can’t wait to make this – I have everything on hand, too! 😀

    Reply
  7. Amanda
    December 8, 2014 at 11:40 am (10 years ago)

    I heard this quote and thought it was appropriate. “you can’tunderstand the solution until you have a clear handle on the problem.”

    Reply
  8. Allie | Baking a Moment
    December 8, 2014 at 12:06 pm (10 years ago)

    This is so thought-provoking Julie, and I really love how you’ve linked to other resources to educate and maybe even bring about the support that these issues are so in need of. These are difficult problems but hopefully we can come together to bring about positive change. Beautiful post dear, and the bread looks lovely as well!

    Reply
  9. Emily R
    December 8, 2014 at 12:40 pm (10 years ago)

    That bread looks delicious – but I love even more what you wrote. I’ve been astonished lately at the amount of victim blaming and trying to ‘explain away’ the problem that I’ve seen. I’m very much on the side of ‘support’ rather than ‘policing.’ Thanks for the great post!

    Reply
  10. Amanda Paa
    December 8, 2014 at 1:15 pm (10 years ago)

    so.well.said. great post to read to start the week on. I feel like policing is almost a form of complaining and greed. we all need to work together to find solutions for difficult things, like those who can’t afford it all. even tiny steps in the right direction can help encourage people.

    and your gingerbread looks amazing 🙂

    Reply
  11. cristina
    December 8, 2014 at 1:19 pm (10 years ago)

    Lovely gingerbread and nice spice ratio from Averie! 😉 I enjoyed your post about “policing vs. supporting” Sometimes people forget to exercise empathy, and they’re not really meaning to be insensitive but they are not able to put themselves in someone’s environment and social economic situation, etc. Some good food for thought from your post and will keep me thinking about it…

    Reply
  14. Laura
    December 8, 2014 at 4:39 pm (10 years ago)

    Well first, this bread recipe looks incredibly delicious. I also loved your article. Everyone likes to put their two-cents on how you should be leading your life when they should be focused on their own. It can be a struggle sometimes to make the healthy choice after working a 12+ hour day! You rock for standing up for yourself.

    Reply
  16. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
    December 8, 2014 at 9:02 pm (10 years ago)

    Love this bread, it looks wonderful!
    Interesting points about healthy eating. It can be so hard, even with the funds to buy what you need. The policing vs supporting is such a great example, and great way to look at it!

    Reply
  17. Christina Mendoza
    December 9, 2014 at 12:54 am (10 years ago)

    Well, I clicked through from Pinterest for a gingerbread recipe, and I got so much more. I have spent the past few hours clicking through the links that you posted, and reading, and crying about the injustices related. I thank you for addressing this issue so well, and I’ll be frequenting your blog from now on.

    Reply
  18. Anton
    December 9, 2014 at 11:13 am (10 years ago)

    I adore your blog, not just for the recipes (delicious) but also because you are such a thoughtful, generous person. I am so genuinely glad you exist in the world.

    Very excited to make this gingerbread. It is one of my favorite flavors. I might sprinkle some candied ginger bits on top for the zing.

    Reply
  19. Marla
    December 9, 2014 at 4:15 pm (10 years ago)

    Great holiday cake!!!

    Reply
  20. Amy | Club Narwhal
    December 10, 2014 at 11:52 am (10 years ago)

    And this, Julie, is why I love reading your blog! I have thought a lot about the difference between policing and supporting but could never put it into such eloquent words. Love this (and that gingerbread quick bread looks divine as well)!

    Reply
  21. Mary Reynolds
    December 10, 2014 at 11:31 pm (10 years ago)

    Eloquent,another reader said it, and it’s deeply true. I wish our elected officials were able to express such depth of understanding. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read your blog, often you say what I’ve felt but been unable to articulate. Bless you Julie.

    Reply

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