As 2009 winds down to a grundgy close, nationwide reports of a pumpkin shortage fill the airwaves, the blogs, the forums, and the grocery shelves. “Where’s the canned pumpkin?” thousands of harried housewives ask equally harried store managers. In many cases, “There isn’t any” seems to be the answer.
A Thanksgiving dinner without Pumpkin Pie? To many, that’s unthinkable. Libby and Nestle are sending bulletins to newswires throughout the land to quell the panic. “It’s going to be fine! We are stocking shelves as we speak! You will have your Pumpkin Pie!”
Even Bloomberg, ususally the harbinger of more world-shaking events, sent updates on the crises at frequent intervals on this morning’s broadcast. Are Libby and Nestle whistling in the dark? Or will grocery shelves really spill over with canned pumpkin for the weekend rush? It’s a cliff hanger, we admit.
What can you do if you can’t find a pumpkin (fresh or canned?) Housewives and Chefs are notorious for inventing substitutions for just about anything! Why not for Pumpkin Pie? The first thing that comes to my mind as I scour the pumpkinless brain is a yam and a butternut squash!
You may be thinking, “Ugh” but give it a try. I haven’t worked up the recipe yet, but will as time permits, and by next Thursday, be able to report the result. To begin, keep it simple; just add the usual eggs, sugar, condensed milk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cornstarch? - whatever, beat thoroughly, and there you are - a “SubPumpkin Pie.”
Entreprenuerial efforts sometimes work, sometimes not. This one’s a small risk!
Comments accepted. And an anti-rainman might be helpful.
Happy Thanksgiving
