unseasonable
Here at the squibix household we enjoy pumpkin bread, and Leah loves her some pumpkin pie, so we make those two delicacies as often as we can manage (and issues of health and waistline allow). There is a problem, though, in the fact that canned pumpkin is more difficult than it should be to procure. Last time I asked after it at the supermarket, I was told that they didn't carry it outside November because it "wasn't the season". Now I'm as excited as the next fellow (more, even!) by local, seasonable produce. But that's not what's happening here: the poor pumpkins I can't buy were probably canned in China two-three years ago and are sitting in a warehouse until such time as the marketers feel there is sufficient Thanksgiving-related demand for them to deserve shelf space in the grocery store.
That's just silly. Isn't the point of the modern American mega-grocery that you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it?! We have gross tomatoes and apples all year round, why not delicious canned pumpkin? At this point I'd even take squash.
Clearly, the solution is to bite the bullet and can our own pumpkin (or rather puree and freeze it), like Leah's dad can't believe we don't do already (does that phrase make any sense? It's late here). Then we'll be able to put up as much as we want, rather than buying eight cans of the commercial stuff when it's briefly in stores and hoarding them as long as we're able. Ah, who am I kidding: we'll probably do both. How else will we be able to eat pumpkin pie into July?!
comments
I heard there was some shortage of pumpkin this year. I have two cups in the freezer that I am waiting to use on some whole wheat pumpkin pancakes or maybe some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
Perhaps some sort of deal can be reached... I'll supply the canned pumpkin (yes, in fact, I DO hoard canned goods) if you supply the baked goods ;)
@Theresa:
A shortage of pumpkin, eh? That would make sense: friends of ours were complaining about being unable to find it in the month before Thanksgiving. Still, I posit that the problem is still marketing-related: a lack of pumpkins being planted and produced. Clearly, some of that corn and soybean acreage needs to be repurposed!
@Sarah:
I though I was hoarding canned goods! Clearly not hoarding enough, though. I'd love to go in the deal, but our lawyers will have to have a conversation about how we'll be divvying up the finished products.