Endangered Pumpkin Pies

Nosi · 20th November 2009, 02:12 PM

That icon of Christmas and staple of Thanksgiving, the pumpkin pie, may be in peril thanks to some oddball weather according to Nestle.

Quote:

Nestle— which sells nearly all the canned pumpkin in the U.S. — says poor weather hurt its harvest, creating a potential shortage of its Libby's pumpkin pie products through the holidays.

First it was tomatoes and potatoes...now it's pumpkins. Um...should I begin to...

yet?

Cleon · 20th November 2009, 02:23 PM

Don't forget the Great Eggo Shortage.

Lisa Simpson · 20th November 2009, 02:27 PM

Unless you live near a Whole Foods.

Denver · 20th November 2009, 02:27 PM

Hmm.. maybe that's why the pumpkin pies at my local Albertson's bakery are selling for $7.99.

Darth Rotor · 20th November 2009, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by Cleon

Don't forget the Great Eggo Shortage.

I heard about that from my son, but mostly the news was yammering about H1N1. Rather annoying, that the media don't focus on what matters.

What kills me is that people were reportedly scalping Eggos, and getting sticker plus pricing for them.

If true, then ... well, that's why Guinness is my buddy.

DR

666 · 20th November 2009, 05:26 PM

I haven't been able to buy Libby's pumpkin in the UK for some time now. The only thing I can find is "Paula Pumpkin Puree" which is a Canadian product adulterated with 30% squash.

Redtail · 20th November 2009, 05:29 PM

Two words... Sweet Potato.

jhunter1163 · 20th November 2009, 05:37 PM

My wife makes our pumpkin pies from our jack-o-lanterns, so the canned pumpkin shortage doesn't impact us. She'd probably go all Soupy Sales on me if I brought a commercial pie home at Thanksgiving.

casebro · 20th November 2009, 05:45 PM

We've been eating pumpkins like squash. Split, clean, nuke for a few minutes. Then, as if it is a cantaloupe, slice it and cut the rind off, Cube the slices, nuke a bit more, serve with butter or ???

bluesjnr · 20th November 2009, 06:01 PM

I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever eaten pumpkin pie at Xmas time. How many countries have this as a Xmas staple? I assume this aberration is, like thanksgiving, Merican.

Lisa Simpson · 20th November 2009, 06:09 PM

Despite my avatar, it's not Xmas time yet. Pumpkin pie is a traditional food of the American Thanksgiving feast.

ETA: I don't make pumpkin pie, I make pumpkin dump cake.

Cleon · 20th November 2009, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by Lisa Simpson

Despite my avatar, it's not Xmas time yet. Pumpkin pie is a traditional food of the American Thanksgiving feast.

ETA: I don't make pumpkin pie, I make pumpkin dump cake.

I can't tell if that sounds really, really good or incredibly disgusting.

slingblade · 20th November 2009, 11:42 PM

Pumpkin is squash.

kuroyume0161 · 20th November 2009, 11:55 PM

1. Nothing beats pumpkin pie with fattening Reddi Whip. Yummy!

2. Le'go my Eggo!

3. I blame the 'Punkin Chunker's'.

steve s · 21st November 2009, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by 666

I haven't been able to buy Libby's pumpkin in the UK for some time now. The only thing I can find is "Paula Pumpkin Puree" which is a Canadian product adulterated with 30% squash.

Make your own puree.
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/puree.htm

Steve S.

Nosi · 21st November 2009, 06:23 AM

No big danger? Alt treats abound? Just mother nature being...quirky then?

casebro · 21st November 2009, 07:44 AM

If there is a weather problem with the pumpkin harvest, shouldn't we also be hearing about some problems with other crops? Corn, wheat, squash, Lima beans? Kind of makes me wonder if the problem isn't a manufactured shortage? Since they are a near-monopoly, Nestle's drove the price down, so farmers didn't plant as much, so now there is a shortage? I'll bet Nestle's makes as much profit this year as last.

666 · 22nd November 2009, 03:17 AM

Originally Posted by 666

I haven't been able to buy Libby's pumpkin in the UK for some time now. The only thing I can find is "Paula Pumpkin Puree" which is a Canadian product adulterated with 30% squash.

Originally Posted by steve s

Make your own puree.
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/puree.htm

Steve S.

I've tried pureeing fresh pumpkin before but it came out very stringy even though I tried to remove the fibrous bits. This suggestion to bake it first might give better results. Thanks.

casebro · 22nd November 2009, 07:56 AM

There are different kinds of pumpkins. The best for cooking is called "Sugar Pie Pumpkins". They are smaller, cantaloupe sized or a step larger. Cook them first, run through a blender, and Pi them from there. Buy the smaller ones avter Halloween, they seem to make good 'squash' for dinner.

casebro · 22nd November 2009, 07:57 AM

What, no Midwest farmers on this thread to comment on the weather conditions vs commercial/contract manipulations?

WildCat · 22nd November 2009, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Redtail

Two words... Sweet Potato.

Am I the only person in the world who can't stand sweet potatoes? Those things are so disgusting...

WildCat · 22nd November 2009, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by casebro

What, no Midwest farmers on this thread to comment on the weather conditions vs commercial/contract manipulations?

Well I'm not a farmer, but I do live in the Midwest. And this year has been exceptionally cool and wet, one of the coolest and wettest on record.

I do have a garden, and even my early tomatoes weren't ripe until mid-August. Usually I have tomatoes in mid-July. I know some other gardeners who didn't get any tomatoes at all this year. I'm lucky because my back yard faces south and I have unobstructed sun from dawn to dusk, quite rare in the city as most yards are shaded by buildings and neighbor's trees and the way the Chicago street grid is laid out most yards face either east or west, and of course half of the rest face north and you can't grow anything in those.

GeeMack · 22nd November 2009, 11:59 AM

I live about 15 miles from Morton, Illinois, (one of) the Pumpkin Capital(s) of the World. Something like 80% of all the canned pumpkin sold in this country gets processed through the Libby's cannery here. Tons of pumpkins get shipped in from elsewhere, and we grow plenty of them in the area, too. The weather was cooler and much wetter than usual. It affected all the fruit and vegetable crops, but things like pumpkins and melons that grow right on the ground took a pretty big hit from the molds and fungus caused by the excessive moisture.

But, find a 2-1/2 pound Butternut Squash at your grocer and try this, my own recipe...

Greg's Award Seeking Faux Pumpkin Pie

Using a potato peeler, peel the skin from a medium sized butternut squash. There will be some light green stripes just under the surface skin. Skin it just past those stripes. Cut in half. Remove and discard the seeds. Then cut into cubes and place in a covered baking/casserole dish. Put about 1/3 cup of brown sugar over the top. Cover. Bake at 325° for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let it mostly cool. Put it in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Then...

2-1/2 cups squash puree (above)
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
Mix all ingredients well with the electric mixer. Pour into two 9 inch pie crusts (or one large deep dish crust). Dust the tops with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350° and bake for another 45 minutes (or another 5 to 10 minutes for the large deep dish pie).

Your guests will never know the difference. I actually like it better than pumpkin!

Skeptical Greg · 22nd November 2009, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by WildCat

Am I the only person in the world who can't stand sweet potatoes? Those things are so disgusting...

There are at least two of us.. Can't stand anything made with pumpkin either ...

Beerina · 23rd November 2009, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by bluesjnr

I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever eaten pumpkin pie at Xmas time. How many countries have this as a Xmas staple? I assume this aberration is, like thanksgiving, Merican.

The rest of the world is the aberration, duh!

My mom made homemade pumpkin pies once. Alls I gotta say about the results is you should puree the holy hell out of the pumpkins.

shandyjan · 23rd November 2009, 05:43 PM

I've never tasted pumpkin. Is it fruity or vegetabley?
When you say pie..is it real pie..pastry and filling, or a tart?

GeeMack · 24th November 2009, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by shandyjan

I've never tasted pumpkin. Is it fruity or vegetabley?
When you say pie..is it real pie..pastry and filling, or a tart?

A pumkin in a type of squash of course, so the flavor is more like a vegetable, but used in a pie it is almost always sweetened with sugar, brown sugar, and/or molasses. A pumpkin pie is a tart. It is made with a pastry crust in a pie dish, but there is no top crust. The filling for a pumpkin pie is a custard generally made from pumpkin puree, eggs, evaporated milk, and sugar. It is usually spiced with some combination of nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves, and/or cinnamon.

See Google Images: pumpkin pie for pictures.

20th November 2009, 02:12 PM	#1
Nosi Muse Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 679	Endangered Pumpkin Pies That icon of Christmas and staple of Thanksgiving, the pumpkin pie, may be in peril thanks to some oddball weather according to Nestle. Quote: Nestle— which sells nearly all the canned pumpkin in the U.S. — says poor weather hurt its harvest, creating a potential shortage of its Libby's pumpkin pie products through the holidays. First it was tomatoes and potatoes...now it's pumpkins. Um...should I begin to... yet?
Nosi Muse Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 679

20th November 2009, 02:23 PM	#2
Cleon King of the Pod People Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 14,359	Don't forget the Great Eggo Shortage.
	__________________ "Intolerance does not flourish without ignorance to feed it." - kittynh "A jerk who is right is still a jerk." - Ducky My blog

20th November 2009, 02:27 PM	#3
Lisa Simpson THE Lisa Simpson Administrator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 123 Fake Street Posts: 14,830	Unless you live near a Whole Foods.
	__________________ In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the stakes at issue. - Wallace Sayre Facts are satanic litter on the heavenly highway to blind faith! - Betty Bowers

20th November 2009, 02:45 PM	#5
Darth Rotor Salted Sith Cynic Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rat cheer Posts: 26,802	Originally Posted by Cleon Don't forget the Great Eggo Shortage. I heard about that from my son, but mostly the news was yammering about H1N1. Rather annoying, that the media don't focus on what matters. What kills me is that people were reportedly scalping Eggos, and getting sticker plus pricing for them. If true, then ... well, that's why Guinness is my buddy. DR
	__________________ Helicopters don't so much fly as beat the air into submission. "Jesus wept, but did He laugh?"--F.H. Buckley____"There is some one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon our earth ... His mirth." --Chesterton____"Atheism is no safeguard against stupidity."--The Atheist____If the barbarian in us is excised, so is our humanity."--D'rok____ "Your onus is aimed in the wrong direction." -- Cleon

20th November 2009, 05:26 PM	#6
666 Whingeing Pom Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: East of Kernow. Posts: 1,048	I haven't been able to buy Libby's pumpkin in the UK for some time now. The only thing I can find is "Paula Pumpkin Puree" which is a Canadian product adulterated with 30% squash.
	__________________

20th November 2009, 02:27 PM	#4
Denver Master Poster Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 2,737	Hmm.. maybe that's why the pumpkin pies at my local Albertson's bakery are selling for $7.99.

20th November 2009, 05:29 PM	#7
Redtail Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 5,256	Two words... Sweet Potato.
Redtail Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 5,256	__________________ Hail! to the victors valiant Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes Hail! Hail! to Old Reidsville,The champions of the West! GO REIDS_VILLE!!!

20th November 2009, 05:37 PM	#8
jhunter1163 Beer-Swilling Semiliterate Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Room 118, Bohemian Grove Marriott Posts: 5,813	My wife makes our pumpkin pies from our jack-o-lanterns, so the canned pumpkin shortage doesn't impact us. She'd probably go all Soupy Sales on me if I brought a commercial pie home at Thanksgiving.
	__________________ [Due to high ambient stupidity, I guess I need to spell it out: THIS IS A JOKE.] - JamesBlodgett The three essential components of being a "truther" are stupidity, dishonesty, and insanity. All are essential, but none is sufficient by itself. - FineWine

20th November 2009, 05:45 PM	#9
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	We've been eating pumpkins like squash. Split, clean, nuke for a few minutes. Then, as if it is a cantaloupe, slice it and cut the rind off, Cube the slices, nuke a bit more, serve with butter or ???
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	__________________ Please pardon me for having ideas, not facts. Some have called me cynical, but I don't believe them. It's not how many breaths you take. It's how many times you have been breathless that counts.

20th November 2009, 06:01 PM	#10
bluesjnr Professional Nemesis for Hire Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Not where I should be. Posts: 501	I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever eaten pumpkin pie at Xmas time. How many countries have this as a Xmas staple? I assume this aberration is, like thanksgiving, Merican.
	__________________ Belief is the death of intelligence. - Robert Anton Wilson Creationists make it sound as though a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night. - Isaac Asimov He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife. - Douglas Adams

20th November 2009, 06:09 PM	#11
Lisa Simpson THE Lisa Simpson Administrator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 123 Fake Street Posts: 14,830	Despite my avatar, it's not Xmas time yet. Pumpkin pie is a traditional food of the American Thanksgiving feast. ETA: I don't make pumpkin pie, I make pumpkin dump cake.
	__________________ In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the stakes at issue. - Wallace Sayre Facts are satanic litter on the heavenly highway to blind faith! - Betty Bowers

20th November 2009, 06:39 PM	#12
Cleon King of the Pod People Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 14,359	Originally Posted by Lisa Simpson Despite my avatar, it's not Xmas time yet. Pumpkin pie is a traditional food of the American Thanksgiving feast. ETA: I don't make pumpkin pie, I make pumpkin dump cake. I can't tell if that sounds really, really good or incredibly disgusting.
	__________________ "Intolerance does not flourish without ignorance to feed it." - kittynh "A jerk who is right is still a jerk." - Ducky My blog

20th November 2009, 11:42 PM	#13
slingblade 63% similar to you Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: In This Fog, Who Knows? Posts: 13,769	Pumpkin is squash.
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20th November 2009, 11:55 PM	#14
kuroyume0161 Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Calhan, CO, USA Posts: 1,233	1. Nothing beats pumpkin pie with fattening Reddi Whip. Yummy! 2. Le'go my Eggo! 3. I blame the 'Punkin Chunker's'.

21st November 2009, 12:13 AM	#15
steve s Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,513	Originally Posted by 666 I haven't been able to buy Libby's pumpkin in the UK for some time now. The only thing I can find is "Paula Pumpkin Puree" which is a Canadian product adulterated with 30% squash. Make your own puree. http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/puree.htm Steve S.
steve s Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,513	__________________ "Nature abhors a moron." -- H. L. Mencken

21st November 2009, 06:23 AM	#16
Nosi Muse Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 679	No big danger? Alt treats abound? Just mother nature being...quirky then?
Nosi Muse Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 679

21st November 2009, 07:44 AM	#17
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	If there is a weather problem with the pumpkin harvest, shouldn't we also be hearing about some problems with other crops? Corn, wheat, squash, Lima beans? Kind of makes me wonder if the problem isn't a manufactured shortage? Since they are a near-monopoly, Nestle's drove the price down, so farmers didn't plant as much, so now there is a shortage? I'll bet Nestle's makes as much profit this year as last.
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	__________________ Please pardon me for having ideas, not facts. Some have called me cynical, but I don't believe them. It's not how many breaths you take. It's how many times you have been breathless that counts.

22nd November 2009, 03:17 AM	#18
666 Whingeing Pom Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: East of Kernow. Posts: 1,048	Originally Posted by 666 I haven't been able to buy Libby's pumpkin in the UK for some time now. The only thing I can find is "Paula Pumpkin Puree" which is a Canadian product adulterated with 30% squash. Originally Posted by steve s Make your own puree. http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/puree.htm Steve S. I've tried pureeing fresh pumpkin before but it came out very stringy even though I tried to remove the fibrous bits. This suggestion to bake it first might give better results. Thanks.
	__________________

22nd November 2009, 07:56 AM	#19
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	There are different kinds of pumpkins. The best for cooking is called "Sugar Pie Pumpkins". They are smaller, cantaloupe sized or a step larger. Cook them first, run through a blender, and Pi them from there. Buy the smaller ones avter Halloween, they seem to make good 'squash' for dinner.
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	__________________ Please pardon me for having ideas, not facts. Some have called me cynical, but I don't believe them. It's not how many breaths you take. It's how many times you have been breathless that counts.

22nd November 2009, 07:57 AM	#20
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	What, no Midwest farmers on this thread to comment on the weather conditions vs commercial/contract manipulations?
casebro Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,727	__________________ Please pardon me for having ideas, not facts. Some have called me cynical, but I don't believe them. It's not how many breaths you take. It's how many times you have been breathless that counts.

22nd November 2009, 08:06 AM	#21
WildCat NWO Master Conspirator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany Park, Chicago Posts: 24,966	Originally Posted by Redtail Two words... Sweet Potato. Am I the only person in the world who can't stand sweet potatoes? Those things are so disgusting...
	__________________ "My opinion is not uninformed there are just many things I have no clue about." -atavisms "Iran DOES have the right and good reason to attack Israel." -parky76

22nd November 2009, 08:14 AM	#22
WildCat NWO Master Conspirator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany Park, Chicago Posts: 24,966	Originally Posted by casebro What, no Midwest farmers on this thread to comment on the weather conditions vs commercial/contract manipulations? Well I'm not a farmer, but I do live in the Midwest. And this year has been exceptionally cool and wet, one of the coolest and wettest on record. I do have a garden, and even my early tomatoes weren't ripe until mid-August. Usually I have tomatoes in mid-July. I know some other gardeners who didn't get any tomatoes at all this year. I'm lucky because my back yard faces south and I have unobstructed sun from dawn to dusk, quite rare in the city as most yards are shaded by buildings and neighbor's trees and the way the Chicago street grid is laid out most yards face either east or west, and of course half of the rest face north and you can't grow anything in those.
	__________________ "My opinion is not uninformed there are just many things I have no clue about." -atavisms "Iran DOES have the right and good reason to attack Israel." -parky76

22nd November 2009, 11:59 AM	#23
GeeMack Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Not Bandiagara Posts: 1,553	I live about 15 miles from Morton, Illinois, (one of) the Pumpkin Capital(s) of the World. Something like 80% of all the canned pumpkin sold in this country gets processed through the Libby's cannery here. Tons of pumpkins get shipped in from elsewhere, and we grow plenty of them in the area, too. The weather was cooler and much wetter than usual. It affected all the fruit and vegetable crops, but things like pumpkins and melons that grow right on the ground took a pretty big hit from the molds and fungus caused by the excessive moisture. But, find a 2-1/2 pound Butternut Squash at your grocer and try this, my own recipe... Greg's Award Seeking Faux Pumpkin Pie Using a potato peeler, peel the skin from a medium sized butternut squash. There will be some light green stripes just under the surface skin. Skin it just past those stripes. Cut in half. Remove and discard the seeds. Then cut into cubes and place in a covered baking/casserole dish. Put about 1/3 cup of brown sugar over the top. Cover. Bake at 325° for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let it mostly cool. Put it in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Then... 2-1/2 cups squash puree (above) 3/4 cup sugar 1 Tablespoon molasses 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 3 eggs 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk Mix all ingredients well with the electric mixer. Pour into two 9 inch pie crusts (or one large deep dish crust). Dust the tops with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350° and bake for another 45 minutes (or another 5 to 10 minutes for the large deep dish pie). Your guests will never know the difference. I actually like it better than pumpkin!

22nd November 2009, 12:09 PM	#24
Skeptical Greg Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Just past ' Resume Speed ' Posts: 9,115	Originally Posted by WildCat Am I the only person in the world who can't stand sweet potatoes? Those things are so disgusting... There are at least two of us.. Can't stand anything made with pumpkin either ...
	__________________ A quantum of solace, is better than no solace at all.. " Don't come home a' drinkin' , with lovin' on your mind "... Loretta Lynn

23rd November 2009, 10:01 AM	#25
Beerina Sarcastic Conqueror of Notions Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: A floating island above the clouds Posts: 14,370	Originally Posted by bluesjnr I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever eaten pumpkin pie at Xmas time. How many countries have this as a Xmas staple? I assume this aberration is, like thanksgiving, Merican. The rest of the world is the aberration, duh! My mom made homemade pumpkin pies once. Alls I gotta say about the results is you should puree the holy hell out of the pumpkins.
	__________________ Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman, in *A Day Like Any Other* The government should nationalize it! Socialized, single-payer video game development and sales *now!* More, cheaper, better games, right? Right?

23rd November 2009, 05:43 PM	#26
shandyjan Graduate Poster Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: N/W England Posts: 1,013	I've never tasted pumpkin. Is it fruity or vegetabley? When you say pie..is it real pie..pastry and filling, or a tart?
	__________________ Losing an illusion makes you wiser than finding a truth. ~Ludwig Börne

24th November 2009, 01:08 PM	#27
GeeMack Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Not Bandiagara Posts: 1,553	Originally Posted by shandyjan I've never tasted pumpkin. Is it fruity or vegetabley? When you say pie..is it real pie..pastry and filling, or a tart? A pumkin in a type of squash of course, so the flavor is more like a vegetable, but used in a pie it is almost always sweetened with sugar, brown sugar, and/or molasses. A pumpkin pie is a tart. It is made with a pastry crust in a pie dish, but there is no top crust. The filling for a pumpkin pie is a custard generally made from pumpkin puree, eggs, evaporated milk, and sugar. It is usually spiced with some combination of nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves, and/or cinnamon. See Google Images: pumpkin pie for pictures.
	Last edited by GeeMack; 24th November 2009 at 01:12 PM. Reason: Grammar.