When you’re food-obsessed like I am, food signals everything. Spring is here when I see fresh green peas, asparagus and rhubarb at the market. Berries, peaches and nectarines mean it’s summer. And for autumn, it’s apples, pears and pumpkin. Usually around late September I start seeing canned pumpkin in my local supermarket’s baking aisle, and my mouth waters as I dream of pumpkin pancakes, muffins and, of course, pie. Best part: Canned pumpkin, aside from making delicious pies, is a great ingredient in soups, sauces and other dishes. It’s packed with vitamins and fiber and only costs about 40 cents for a half-cup serving.

If you’ve been having trouble finding those telltale orange-labeled cans of pumpkin lately, or you read a lot of food blogs, then you know that this year we’re facing a bit of a pumpkin shortage. I found a few cans in my supermarket and quickly snatched them up — but I’ve been hearing from other cooks around the country that they’re not seeing canned pumpkin at all. What’s a cook to do?

Don’t panic! I spoke with Roz O’Hearn, spokesperson for Libby’s, to get to the bottom of just how serious this shortage is. She assures me that there is now pumpkin coming into supermarkets all over the country. The early shortage happened because last year’s harvest was compromised by poor weather conditions, so the surplus that is used to get those first cans of pumpkin on store shelves wasn’t there. The pumpkin that’s in stores now is from this year’s harvest, which is now well under way.

Of course, this year’s weather hasn’t been great for the pumpkin harvest either, so we may face the same shortage next year — O’Hearn says it’s too soon to tell. But she said she expects there to be plenty of pumpkin for this year (and asked that folks not hoard it, as I did), so everyone who wants a pie at Thanksgiving should be able to get the pumpkin they need. What a relief!

For delicious, easy, budget-friendly pumpkin recipes, click here.

Posted by Beth Lipton, Food Editor

SEE ALSO:
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Decorate Halloween cupcakes
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