If you’ve left the grocery store without a can of pumpkin puree or pie filling, you’re not alone. While shoppers have been greeted by empty shelves, the shortage is in distribution, not supply.
It’s peak pumpkin season, and families everywhere are putting that puree in everything. From pancakes to muffins, oatmeal to cookies, pumpkin makes everything a bit better! The signature flavor of the season seems to be hard to come by in Traverse City this fall, and a number of our customers have wondered why it’s just so hard to find a can or two of pumpkin in our local stores.
Well, we did a little digging. Early in the year, some farmers were worried about a delay in planting due to an especially wet spring. However, that delay only meant that harvest would be pushed back a few weeks. On the whole, this year’s crop is just about normal. Whew, thank goodness!
The demand seems to have come early this year. With more people at home, experts think that more families started their pumpkin-centric baking earlier than normal and perhaps more frequently. The spike in demand has come, but supply just hasn’t made it to the store shelves quite yet.
Americans love pumpkin. In 2019, the US planted over 68,000 acres of pumpkin, a crop that’s worth $180.2 million. That’s right, pumpkins are big business.
As we get deeper into October and November, expect to see those shelves full of pumpkin as this year’s crop makes it to stores. For some great pumpkin recipes, plus all of your favorite fall flavors, check out our Pinterest board!
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