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The great pumpkin shortage — or not

Rumors of a big pumpkin shortage this year have been circulating, but rest easy! There will be plenty of pumpkins for carving, roasting pumpkin seeds and baking pumpkin pie. Find out how this pumpkin shortage rumor started and whether there’s a shred of truth to it.

pumpkins

Don’t worry — your kids will have plenty of pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns and you’ll be able to bake your favorite pumpkin pie. Despite the rumors, there is no shortage of pumpkins this fall. While there are fewer pumpkins, there are still enough of them to go around.

Fewer pumpkins are making it to the stores because of the weather conditions this year. According to Time, a wet summer on the East Coast and endless rains from Hurricane Irene definitely resulted in fewer pumpkins. But fewer doesn’t mean none!

Time reports that pumpkins are down 25 to 50% in some locations, but pumpkins are grown across the entire United States. And, if all else fails, Time says that we’ll get them from overseas.

Whew! Now that you know there’s no pumpkin shortage, how about a few pumpkin recipes?

Baked pumpkin mac n cheese

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces of uncooked noodles (I used rotini)
  • 1 cup of canned pumpkin
  • 1 cup of light cream
  • 4 tablespoons of Neufchatel cream cheese
  • 1 cup shredded part-skim sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (divided)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
  • Cooking spray?

>> Keep reading for cooking directions

Gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2-1/2 cups Gluten Free Pantry Muffin and Scone Mix
  • 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
  • 2 eggs, plus 4 egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins

>> Keep reading for baking directions

>> Tell us: Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe now that we know there’s no danger of a pumpkin shortage?

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