Going gaga over the gourd
The official arrival of autumn used to be marked by the turning of leaves.
But these days, it’s heralded by all things pumpkin.
The orange gourd is showing up in everything from coffee and beer to ice cream, pasta sauce, cream cheese and yogurt. Even Pop Tarts, M&Ms and Dairy Queen offer pumpkin-flavored treats.
Somewhere, the Great Pumpkin is smiling.
“People are getting more creative with what they do with pumpkin,” said Jan Simmons, market manager of Simmons Farm in McMurray, where pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin butter and baking pumpkins are flying off the shelves. “I have a couple of soup recipes and I know people who carve out the pumpkin and serve the soup inside, and it looks beautiful.”
It’s fall’s favorite comfort food.
Nielsen reports that sales of pumpkin-flavored products in the United States grew 19 percent last year, accounting for more than $290 million in revenues.
And pumpkin’s popularity shows no sign of slowing down. Sales of all things pumpkin flavored were up 28 percent so far this year through September.
One theory is that America’s love affair with pumpkin intensified 10 years ago when Starbucks introduced its pumpkin spiced latte, affectionately called a PSL by its devotees. Since then, the company has sold more than 200 million of them.
At the Starbucks store in Canonsburg, PSL lovers start calling in the middle of August to ask when the beverage will be available.
“This time of year, we sell a ton of them. It seems like every other drink someone orders is a PSL,” said Joe Rubino, a barista at Starbucks in Canonsburg. “I’m a black coffee drinker, but I’ll drink them. It’s tasty; it’s like a dessert.”
Local breweries and beer outlets have a selection of dozens of pumpkin beers like Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin and Wolaver’s Organic Pumpkin Ale.
In 2012, Nielsen notes, 70 percent of pumpkin-related grocery sales in the United States took place between September and November, and pie filling is still the most popular use for pumpkin.
For many, it’s still hard to beat the traditional pumpkin pie.
Betty Lucas, a former Avella resident who now lives in West Virginia, picked up a pumpkin pie on a recent trip to the Washington Giant Eagle, which has about a dozen pumpkin products, including an in-demand Market District pumpkin pasta sauce that comes with a spiced pumpkin beef stew recipe.
“I like the fall, and I get pumpkin pie from time to time throughout the season,” said Lucas. “I like pumpkin pie the best. It’s traditional and it’s delicious.”