Pumpkin Everything (Also Pumpkin Spice)

Trader Joe’s is a leader in pumpkin flavors…

Although I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie, I’m fascinated by the vast selection of TJ’s products that echo the flavor of this old American favorite. That is, a favorite of other people, not me. I havn’t tried a single one of these products, I’m just a tourist while doing my shopping. I only really like pumpkin in savory dishes like stews or in pumpkin lasagne.

In any case, looking at these products — so essentially frivolous — takes my mind off the many depressing problems of the food supply these days. Forget the impact of climate change on agriculture. Forget the impact of ultra-processed foods on public health. Forget the issues of hunger in the third world and in our world. Have some fun.

Pumpkin pancakes sound pretty normal. Ingredients include both actual pumpkin
in the form of dried flakes, and the classic spice blend once dedicated to pumpkin pie.

 

As far as I can see from the ingredient list, the “chocolate mousse pumpkins”
have NEITHER actual pumpkin NOR actual spices.
But they have a lot of artificial stuff, and some real cocoa powder.

These madeleines have pumpkin spice, but not pumpkin.

Pumpkin butter, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake croissants…

Trader Joe’s introduced pumpkin pie-spiced coffee in 2011. According to the TJ website, flavors include
"things like orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla beans, and pumpkin spice oil.”
I am a purist when it comes to coffee: no flavoring for me.

No pumpkin or spice here: just normal Joe-Joes with cute faces.
I did buy a box of these.

This is where it gets a little strange: pumpkin corn chips?
This was their featured tasting item. I didn’t try them.

Pumpkin soup is actually a recipe with a very long history. I make it from scratch.

For all I know, pumpkin could be a traditional samosa filling.

Pumpkin-flavored breakfast: O’s Cereal and cold brew coffee.

Maybe it’s good for your skin.

Can dogs taste pumpkin? 

Outside of TJ’s, you can also find all manner of pumpkin foods.

Oreos are known for constantly offering many special flavors.

Ok, I guess folks do like breakfast to have pumpkin spice. Or real pumpkin. Or pumpkin seeds.

Twenty Years of Pumpkin Spice

The pumpkin spice craze started at Starbucks in 2003 and 2004. This image is on their current website.
Full disclosure: I’ve never tried any of these drinks. Maybe I will this year. Probably not.

Sources: The photos inside Trader Joe’s are all mine — I took them while I was buying meat, vegetables, cake, tomato sauce, and other foods that might seem boring to a pumpkin/pumpkin spice aficionado. The non-TJ images came from web searches, and some of them may have been discontinued since the photos were posted.

Of course there’s nothing new about a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice,
cloves, and ginger. This is a vintage spice tin from 1947, on offer at eBay.
I’m pretty sure my mother had a tin of this spice for her Thanksgiving pies.

Blog post and original photos © 2024 mae sander.