Canned Pumpkin Crisis of 2009

I haven't started my fall baking yet so I was totally unaware of the crisis going on in bakers homes across America. It was brought to my attention by my dear friend Keri - who also shares the love & excitement of early fall decorating/baking and early X-mas music with me!

Seems that there is a canned pumpkin shortage and all the stores in the KC metro area are wiped out of this baking necessity. The thought of no pumpkin bars, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake in the fall about sends me over the edge to insanity. I LOVE LOVE LOVE pumpkin baked goods and this canned pumpkin crisis is putting me into a panic.

This context was taken from an article out of the KC Star:

*According to the Libby’s company, the canned pumpkin shortage stems from last year’s harvest. “Our harvest was smaller than typical and some consumers may have difficulty finding Libby's Pumpkin right now.” said Libby's spokesperson Loretta Ivany.

The problem has left many stores shelves empty nationwide. “Pumpkin is harvested once a year beginning late August and into September, so for the last couple of months, there have been empty shelves in most retailers across the nation,” said Walmart spokesperson Caren Epstein in Bentonville, Ark. This year’s pumpkin harvest is underway right now and a new supply will soon be on store shelves. “The good news is that we are in the process of harvesting our pumpkins this season and you will be able to find our products on store shelves within the next few weeks,” says Ivany. “Walmart will have pumpkin in all stores starting next week, now that the pumpkin has begun to be harvested, canned, and shipped."

But, Walmart warns that you could expect to see empty canned pumpkin shelves before the start of next season. “Due to poor weather conditions once again this year, it's looking as if the crop is going to be the same as last year,” says Epstein. “Not great news for pumpkin pie lovers.”

With that said, you can guarantee I will be snatching up a case of pumpkin as soon as it becomes available in the stores. If you all want pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, I suggest you buy it as soon as you see it available in the store because chances are it may not be there when you really need it.