Tuesday, October 7, 2008

All Things Pumpkin


We are currently tuned in to my favorite segment of fall, one of the pleasantest times of year, that pre-fall fall where it is cool in the morning and evening but hot and summery in the day. This is before the avalanche of the impending holiday season crashes over us. This is the start of pumpkin season.

When I talk about pumpkins I mean pumpkin flavored things, not actual pumpkins. Those are good for displaying on your porch or table setting, or if you are of a craftier persuasion, hewing menacing faces into and illuminating with candles. This gets messy. I prefer pumpkins in their most concentrated and pure form.

Here is a list of pumpkin flavored products I have sought out, tasted, and approved for general consumption:

Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale
-Available at Trader Joe's. First, it tastes like beer. Then pumpkin pie. And the two are lovely together.

Pumpkin Scone
-Starbucks. Good for a quick pumpkin fix.

Pumpkin Latte
-Starbucks and caribou coffee stores. Starbucks' is better.

Edy's Double Churn Lite Pumpkin Ice Cream
-Tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. I can only assume the full fat version is twice as deadly.

Pumpkin Walnut Cookies
-Iced in White Chocolate. Found at World Market.

I'm just getting started here. We have at least a few weeks before the Christmas season starts. Where can I find more pumpkin goods? Pumpkin soups, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin pastries? All suggestions are welcome.

[picture of pumpkin festival in Keene, NH, a place I treasure, courtesy Atlant via wikimedia commons]

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