Pumpkin Spice Season ....2023

[me203]

Fresh is the best, but if you get the right brand it should be okay. The problem with canned pumpkin is that most of them end up with stabilizers that change the taste of the pumpkin.

I guess I can see that. I have heard claims from p[eople who've compared that there's no difference--but I'm wondering if the people who've compared haven't done in the context of pies. I'd guess it's easier to cover up a lesser quality pumpkin when there is a ton of spices....

 

[purina]

Canned pumpkin always taste a bit soapy to me, even though pumpkin is listed as the only content.

 

[NotHardUp1]

In fairness to Libby's and the rest, cookint pumpkin during the canning process changes the texture and taste, just as canning peaches does, even without adding anything nefarious.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I've never had a bit of gristle with the pure pork Spam.

I cannor say the same, although I'm not 100% sure I wasn't remembering Treet instead of Spam.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I. Hate. Cloves. They repel me. Smoke from clove cigarettes gives me an instant headache. It may be an allergy.

Pumpkin has an optimally healthy ratio of beta and alpha carotene, and it's packed with flavonoids. All the processing it goes through for pies and puddings and, god forbid, bar food, is sure to compromise some of that. I use pumpkin puree in smoothies. The flavor is strong and hard to kill because it doesn't mix well with other fruits.

I love cloves, but a little goes a long way. It's better in check with other winter spices carefully balanced.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I wonder about that. I spent some time on the official web site, and they say it has 6 ingredients. Spice isn't mentioned. And they, themselves, say in the FAQ section about the name: "The real answer is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives. And probably Nostradamus."

I wonder if it couldn't have been a name that occurred out of no where that somehow seemed right--unique, but rhymed with ham.

Hormel itselt tells where the name came from. It's a portmanteau or Spiced Ham. The Hormel owner's brother came up with it. At the time, spiced luncheon loaf was already a familiar thing at delis, just as liverwurst, olive loaf, and others were.

No idea if they originally included spices but don't today, or if they simply do not have to list them since they are not food, or may be present in too small of percentages to be reportable.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Have you ever put pumpkin butter on french toast? It gets all melty and even better when you add some maple syrup

I love it on any kind of toasted bread or English muffin. I like it better than almost any other preserve or jam. Thanks for the tip.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Same here. I've never had pumpkin spice flavoured anything. Now I'm beginning to wonder if I'm missing out.

I am not a pumpkin spice craze devotee, but I will say it's not anything necessarily fake or artificial. It's just an American seasonal marketing push that allows food and bevereage sellers to start winter foods early. The curries (if we can generically use that term for traditionally mixed spice blends) are nothing new to Northern Europeans, especially Germans, who use these in favorites like pfeffernusse, kuchen, gingerbread, etc.

Much American food is very bland, and this is simply a sector that appeals to those of us who enjoy spices more.

 

[me203]

Hormel itselt tells where the name came from.

The quote I had earlier came from a FAQ section on what I assume is the official site for the Spam brand (a link exists on a Hormel site. Plus there is a Hormel Foods LLC copyright on the FAQ page).

SPAM® Frequently Asked Questions | SPAM® Brand

Find answers to all your frequently asked questions about the SPAM® brand right here! If you can't find your question, please be sure to contact us!

www.spam.com

But, of course, that may not mean anything. There could be some difference of opinion in the company. Or an archive that the people who did Spam.com didn't see. Etc. Etc.

 

[me203]

In fairness to Libby's and the rest, cookint pumpkin during the canning process changes the texture and taste, just as canning peaches does, even without adding anything nefarious.

I can see that...

Well, I guess I'll just forget my fantasies of pumpkin soup.

 

[NotHardUp1]

The quote I had earlier came from a FAQ section on what I assume is the official site for the Spam brand (a link exists on a Hormel site. Plus there is a Hormel Foods LLC copyright on the FAQ page).

SPAM® Frequently Asked Questions | SPAM® Brand

Find answers to all your frequently asked questions about the SPAM® brand right here! If you can't find your question, please be sure to contact us!

www.spam.com

But, of course, that may not mean anything. There could be some difference of opinion in the company. Or an archive that the people who did Spam.com didn't see. Etc. Etc.

Good point.

Spam Is Turning 80. Here's How the Canned Meat Took Over the World

Here's a look at how the canned meat got its name, became beloved by U.S. soldiers and became a kitchen staple

time.com

"According to the company’s Spam Museum, Ken Digneau, the brother of a Hormel executive, came up with the name — a portmanteau word for “spiced ham” — in a naming contest and got $100 as a reward. The new product was introduced on July 5, 1937."

Spam (food) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

simple.wikipedia.org

 

[Kahaih]

An interesting article on the subject:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/11/19/365213805/just-what-is-in-pumpkin-spice-flavor-hint-not-pumpkin

Even if you don't want to read the article, scroll down to John Oliver's video. It's amusing.

 

[Araucaria]

I'm not much of a pie baker, but I think I would experiment with the spices in making a pumpkin pie until I got it just to my liking. I had the Publix pumpkin pies all my life, since I was a kid. They're good, but they seem to be lacking a crucial spice in the flavoring. You can buy jars labeled "Pumpkin Spices" which have nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice in them. In addition, cloves are often used In pumpkin pies as mentioned, and I've heard that mace and cardamon are sometimes also used. I figure that somewhere out there is the perfect spice combination for a pumpkin pie.

 

[rareboy]

 

[Alistair]

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[NotHardUp1]

I'm sorry to report that I didn't get a photo, but driving to work Wednesday, I noticed a motorcyclist who was riding a small bike, maybe a scooter, and had a bright orange helmet. At the time, I just thought it was a safety orange to help avoid being unseen by motorists. As he pulled by me at his turnoff, I was close enough to see that the orange was a fake fur nap with a jack-o-lantern face, a pullover to a regular helmet.

That was cool.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I'm not much of a pie baker, but I think I would experiment with the spices in making a pumpkin pie until I got it just to my liking. I had the Publix pumpkin pies all my life, since I was a kid. They're good, but they seem to be lacking a crucial spice in the flavoring. You can buy jars labeled "Pumpkin Spices" which have nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice in them. In addition, cloves are often used In pumpkin pies as mentioned, and I've heard that mace and cardamon are sometimes also used. I figure that somewhere out there is the perfect spice combination for a pumpkin pie.

In my opinion, the pies are generally afraid to use as much nutmeg as is needed. It really is the most complementary flavor for my taste to the flavor of pumpkin, without overpowering it. They merge well. Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, and cardamom can all be in the mix, but ramping up any of them risks the strong likelihood of being too "hot" in a seasoning meaning of the word, too forward, too piercing.

I can also imagine going well away from tradition and just using cardamom and some allspice or clove and making the palate simpler. The bite that cardamom can add, within limits, would be a welcome shift, but still with allspice or cinnamon to bridge or round the combination.

Also, pumpkin pie just isn't a great custard. It needs lightening, so whipping it up and folding in meringue or whipping cream would allow it to all be reinvented without making it strange to traditionalists.

My family eats pumpkin pie, but it's a it is a distant second to the devotion to sweet potato casserole, a much more popular dish in the South that is too close to pumpkin to really serve both.

 

[pornoboy]

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[smokeshadow]

PB - I'll see your drunk pumpkins; and, raise you one

 

[NotHardUp1]

PB - I'll see your drunk pumpkins; and, raise you one

View attachment 2246177View attachment 2246178

The one on the right look more like he's allergic to bee stings.