The Great Pumpkin Shortage of '09
November 22, 2009 - by Molly MannCouldn't find canned pumpkin to make a pie this Thanksgiving? You're not alone. Supermarkets everywhere are apologizing for what the media has termed the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2009, the scarcity of Libby's canned pumpkin that threatens holiday dessert tables everywhere.
Libby's, which is owned by Nestle, controls 80 percent of the canned pumpkin sold in the United States. The company's 5,000-acre farm in Morton, Illinois was inundated with heavy rains this summer that wiped out the 2008 harvest, which was canned and sold in 2009. That has left supermarkets to rely on their surplus stock from last year. Once that runs out, there will be no more pumpkin until the 2009 harvest starts leaving canneries no later than August 2010.
This shortage provides an excellent example of the ills of factory farming and agro-business. Our food supply has steadily lost variety over the past half-century, with a few crops controlled by a handful of industries. One bad season and that supply can totally collapse, as did this year's pumpkin harvest. A growing system based on smaller, local farms would be far less precarious and better for ourselves and the environment (since small farmers are less likely to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides).
The tradition of having pumpkin pie at every Thanksgiving feast comes from a treat that early American settlers of the Plymouth Plantation (1620-1692) would have enjoyed. They would stew the insides of the gourd and then fill the hollowed shell with milk, honey, and spices before baking it in hot ashes. These first permanent European settlers in New England had no pie crusts, since ovens were not available to them at that time.
But never fear. You can still enjoy your holiday, stay true to American tradition, and savor a yummy, healthy treat even without your Libby's pumpkin pie. The pilgrims also consumed a wide variety of roasted and boiled squash, especially after they learned from the Native Americans that the vegetables would help them ward off scurvy. Try butternut squash for your own meal this holiday. It has a flavor and texture close to pumpkin and is an excellent source of beta-carotene, which our bodies convert to vitamin A. Vitamin A is a natural healer and prevents skin diseases, age-related macular degeneration, emphysema, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even leukemia. You can find a recipe for butternut squash pie here, or experiment with using the vegetable for soups, salads and side dishes.
Have a healthy, happy Thanksgiving everyone! And remember the original purpose of the holiday: to give thanks to the earth for sustaining our lives.
