Is Pumpkin Flavor Immortal?

And 11 Things To Do With all those Pumpkin Seeds

It’s that time of year again. I get pumped for fall.

Crisp mornings, turning of the leaves, apple cider, haunted houses, hay rides and best of all carving pumpkins. I love to sit down with my family and carve away while trying to avoid cutting off a finger. Designing and creating the perfect jack-o-lantern is always a tradition that I look forward to. I believe the best part of the carving process is…

collecting the seeds.

My youngest daughter, Cate, loves Halloween. It’s her favorite holiday and we typically try to cram as much into the month as possible. The last two years have been a bit different as she’s a college student living in Boston. Don’t worry Cate I’ve got it covered this year and your seeds will be on the way. We soak up every opportunity to dress up, decorate the house with spooky stuff and get scared. We eat everything pumpkin from pancakes to cookies and I personally try to sample as many pumpkin beers as possible.

However, as most of you are probably aware, the variety of pumpkin flavored products over the years have grown exponentially. There's pumpkin flavored everything. I’ve seen it all from pumpkin vodka and lasagna to toothpaste and breath fresheners. Nothing says clean and fresh like pumpkin. Right? Due to it’s popularity and everyone wanting a piece of the ‘pumpkin’ pie products definitely hit the marketplace that don’t work. However, there are a lot that hit the mark. What started as a trend, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte PSL, has now become a seasonal expectation and staple and many would like to see it on the menu all year. Consumer Behavior is still leaning in favor of Pumpkin even with saturation in the market.

This year, in particular, there was a new flavor trend in town and it’s included our furry friends. Krispy Kreme Pup’kin Spice Doggie Doughnuts sold in support of National Dog Day. While this LTO lasted only a few days I do wonder if the bark was loud enough to bring it back next year.

I do believe pumpkin flavor with it's deep rooted connections to popular culture and seasonality will continue to thrive and reach near immortality. While the data indicates some growth decline due to over-saturation of product introductions it will continue to be a requirement for the fall loving audience. Let me know your thoughts..

Getting back to pumpkin seeds. The reward of eating these delicious treasures is not just the nutritional benefits, but the hard work you put into getting them ready.

First, you need to scoop out the guts, then separate, then wash, then dry, then bake, then season and finally you get to eat them. This process is not only time consuming, but annoying and disgusting to most. My other daughter, Ava, hates to dig out the guts. Lucky for her she’s away at college too so it’s all on me this year.

Once the seeds are completed our ritual is to enjoy with a hot cup of tea, coffee, cider or chocolate. Of course we’re a full blown foodie family so we get bored with the traditional salt & pepper seasoning. Creative adaptation calls. A couple of years ago was Madras curry, spicy cilantro-lime and cinnamon and sugar. Last year we adjusted the recipe using coconut and avocado oil instead of olive oil. I’ve decided to take it to the International level this year with a Mexican inspired spicy and tangy flavor profile consisting of chili powder lime and salt.

Be a trendsetter, take a look in your pantry and get creative. If you’re looking for more established ideas click below for additional sweet and savory ideas and enjoy them this season, like we plan to do.

Happy Haunting.

Sweet Treats

*There truly are 11 ways ideas below. #7 has 5 included.

1. Pumpkin seed brittle from Bon Appetit https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pumpkin-seed-brittle
2. 2. Caramelized pumpkin seeds from the Foodnetwork https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/caramelized-pumpkin-seeds-recipe.html
3. 3. Nut-free, grain-free pumpkin seed granola via Detoxinista https://detoxinista.com/2012/09/pumpkin-seed-granola-nut-free-grain-free/
4. 4. Apple-pumpkin seed oatmeal breakfast pie from Yummly https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Baked-Apple-Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Breakfast-Pie-_Gluten-Free_-565969?columns=1&position=31%2F59
5. Pumpkin brittle from Martha Stewart https://www.marthastewart.com/340197/pumpkin-seed brittle#No%20%28Pumpkin%29%20Guts%2C%20No%20Glory%3A%2012%20Snackable%20Pumpkin%20Seed%20Recipes%7C/274532/pumpkin-seed-recipes/@center/1006802/halloween-pumpkins%7C340197 Savory Eats
6. Vegan gluten-free pumpkin seed spinach crackers via Yummly https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Raw-Pumpkin-Seed-Crackers-With-Spinach-_Vegan_-Raw_-Gluten-Free_-1275455?colu mns=1&position=3%2F59
7. Baked pumpkin seeds done five different ways from Foodnetwork https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/reinvented-pumpkin-seeds-5-ways.html