Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater...

Yesterday I learned there is a pumpkin shortage in the world.  Really!  There is!  Who would have guessed????

One of my favorite seniors asked for pumpkin bars for his Sunday graduation party.

Guess what?

There is no canned pumpkin to be found. 

I went to Cub last night to pick up the two ingredients I needed for the pumpkin bars - canned pumpkin and vegetable oil.  Couldn't find the canned pumpkin, so I asked a staff member.  "Oh no," she said, "we haven't had canned pumpkin for almost a year.  There's a shortage, you know."  I didn't know, obviously.  "I think I heard Coburns has some." 

I called Coburns.  The young lady on the phone put me on hold and came back with a happy answer, "Yes," she said, "it's in aisle four."  Yippee!  Pay dirt!

I drove to Big Lake and went to aisle four.  There, on a sign posted strategically where the canned pumpkin ought to be, was the same explanation.  "There is currently a pumpkin shortage and we're not sure when more canned pumpkin will be available."

This morning I called Byerly's.  They don't have any either.  "There's a pumpkin shortage, you know."  I do know now.

One of my favorite seniors is going to have to be happy with carrot cake.  It's probably really all about the cream cheese frosting anyway.

Nice that I don't need to purchase a single ingredient to make carrot cake.  

Of course knowing that there's a shortage of pumpkins makes me long for a few pumpkin-themed desserts (and I don't even eat dessert).  So, next fall I'm going to make some pumpkin stuff to freeze and use for bars.  It's really simple according to Worth the Whisk blogger, Patti. 

1. Rinse off the pumpkins, plop them on a baking sheet, roast at 350 degrees F. for 90 minutes or until tender.  
2. Let cool for a while.
3. Slice in half, scoop out seeds and pulp (seed making post upcoming).
4. Peel off the rind. It’s like working with a large, super ripe avocado, so using my fingers helped not lose chunks of rind in the mash.
5. Put the meat onto a cookie sheet and mash with potato masher.
6. Scoop into freezer bags in one-cup portions. Store up to six months in the freezer.

Noted Robin, a commentor, on October 21, 2009 at 6:16 pm

Patti, good to see you using the sugar pumpkins. Another yummy way with these little gems is: cut off top, scoop out seeds. Fill cavity with big stale bread cubes, shredded Gruyere and some bacon or pancetta or diced ham……season some heavy cream with salt and pepper (and a pinch of nutmeg, for me); drizzle over bread stuff…..return lid to pumpkin. Set on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 oven for….about an hour and a half (until quite tender, but it will still be holding its shape). Remove from oven, remove lid and let cool slightly before slicing into pretty wedges to serve.

And I agree with other comments that any winter squash, cooked, smashed/pureed and put in freezer is SMART (I’m still cooking with squash—Long Island Cheese and Fairytale, both huge varieties—out of the freezer from last year. On 2nd batch of pumpkin bars, 2nd pumpkin pie and also a pumpkin cake.)

 Don't know about y'all, but I think I have a new plan for next year's stuffing.