May Your Pumpkins Be Spicy

Photo of the author and her boyfriend with come carved pumpkins.

If you haven’t been inside a store or eatery in the past month or so, you might not realize that it is officially Pumpkin Spice season. If you’re as old as I am you might recall a time when such a season didn’t exist. Sure we carved jack-o-lanterns for Halloween and ate pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but infusing everything under the sun with pumpkin spice flavoring simply wasn’t a thing.

When did this happen? I feel like it’s been going pretty strong for at least ten years, but I don’t know where it originated. I’m thinking it has to be Starbucks. After all the PSL is now such an iconic beverage that it’s referred to just by its initials.

What’s interesting about the pumpkin spice flavor, is that it involves no actual pumpkins. It’s just based on the spices that we traditionally use to flavor pumpkin pies. Since spices keep very well, there’s no reason that we couldn’t have pumpkin spice flavored treats all year long, but then I guess they wouldn’t be as special. I enjoy this blend of spices, and there’s some pumpkin spice cookies that I make (year-round) that are pretty tasty.

That said, I don’t really go gaga for pumpkin spice season as some do, but hey, to each their own. Plus of all the vices out there, indulging in a few too many pumpkin spice flavored goodies, is probably just fine.

Sometimes in the past when we got around to carving some pumpkins, my favorite part was roasting the fresh pumpkin seeds after. That’s a seasonal delicacy that does actually involve pumpkins or at least pumpkin parts. But I guess pumpkin seed flavored coffee doesn’t quite have the same appeal to folks.

So whether you’re a pumpkin spice fanatic or have some other seasonal treats that you enjoy, I hope you’re able to get your fill of them, and I hope that you have a safe and happy Halloween!

— Alissa