Pumpkin shortage

JML755 · Nov 20, 2009

Yesterday, heard on the news that Nestle's is reporting a canned pumpkin shortage and they will NOT be shipping any canned pumpkin after Thanksgiving. Supposedly due to heavy rains ruining the crop. Nestle's supposedly controls 85% of the US market. I am sure that every housewife is now running to the market to clean out the shelves.

Funny thing is that I recall recently seeing pix on this forum (I think it was here) of pumpkins being harvested in Illinois. They were flying into semi-trucks and poster stated these were NOT your Halloween type pumpkins. Could supposedly stand up to a baseball bat beating. I also recall the poster saying much the same thing as the newsman that there were 4 plants in the area that produced the majority of the US canned pumpkin.

Can any of you Illinois farmers comment on this? Is it real or is Nestle's just trying to drive up the price and get product off the shelf? It's interesting that this news would be released just before the holiday season when most of the pumpkin pie is made. Plus, with a shortage looming, I just got a taste for pumpkin pie. LOL.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 20, 2009

The largest pumpkin canning plant in the US is a few miles south of us in Morton. It has been so wet around here they have been unable to get them out of the fields. They plan for 6 days of rain during harvest and I think they said we have had 26 this fall. The pumpkins are there they just can't get to them.

Steve in IN · Nov 20, 2009

Exactly right. We have two farmers done with their crops, just about 40 miles East of Morton. It is still really wet here, has been and the pumpkins have rotted in the fields.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 20, 2009

I was surprised to see this thread as just yesterday while shopping for my 87 year old mother, she had "canned pumpkin" on her list.

She told me this was not your standard "pie filling", but just plain old pumpkin in a can.

The grocer told me that they were expecting 4 cases to be on the last truck, but they never arrived. He told me the scarcity this year had "something to do with wet weather this year".

They did have the pie filling available though.

Tim

JML755 · Nov 20, 2009

Thanks guys for the confirmation. Now, what I want to know is why you didn't post it here before it got out on the news? :lol: YT readers could have cornered the market. We would be like the "insider traders" on Wall Street who get all the "tips" before the rest of America. (Of course, I'm not sure how much canned pumpkin I could store in my basement.) :lol:

El Toro · Nov 20, 2009

The grocery stores around here have plenty of canned pumpkin on their shelves. Their 15 ounce
can was 79 cents. This farmer in Ohio grew over 21 tons of pumpkins and sent me some pictures. Hal

tlak · Nov 20, 2009

There's also a shortage of Eggo. Revamping one plant and bad weather in the main area where they're manufactured caused this shortage. Must of took a page from the oil companies play book.

Dick L · Nov 20, 2009

The Amish brought in and shipped out of my warehouse 4 semi loads of the soft ball sized pie pumpkins. Each semi weighing just under 80,000 pounds. They had a couple of other warehouses full of pumpkins as well. Most of the pumpkins here were the bigger ones.
The pie pumpkins here all had labels on them so I doubt that any of them were caned.
They gave Dixie a coupla bushels of them today to make pies with.

ChrisinMO · Nov 20, 2009

Slightly off the target of this thread....

In 2008 my youngest son (5 at the time) raised some pumpkins. He and his mother got the seeds out of two of them and went through everything required to clean and dry them.

This last summer we planted them in and around the sweet corn patch. The cool weather we had slowed them down dramatically. Nevertheless, 75% of the crop got color to it by the end of October. Three Saturday mornings in a row he was up at 5 am helping get them loaded. He went with his mother and I to the farmers market and worked at selling them. He made over $150! Not bad for a 6 year old.

The other night at supper I asked him if he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up. He asked me if he was already a farmer since he had grown and sold the pumpkins. Well, what could I say. By his definition, he already was. Who was I to take that away from him?

Christopher

evilboweviel · Nov 20, 2009

sounds like we need a gathering to taste test all those pies
Just to keep you from getting sick, ya know

Ron

Dave from MN · Nov 20, 2009

In this immediate area I know of about 100 acres of pumpkins that were just disked under the last couple weeks. They are raised for Cub foods mostly. I am guessing the canned pumkin is a certain variety.

mazemeister · Nov 20, 2009

Well, I don't know about nationwide, but we have tons (literally) of pumpkins on our farm that didn't sell at the U-pick, so we'll feed the pigs as many as we can; the rest can rot there. if any of you all are on Long Island, stop by

Dave 2N · Nov 20, 2009

Not true! No pumpkin shortage. 34mot and his buddy o'bummer are still around out there.

Matt from CT · Nov 20, 2009

Been scarce on the shelves here for months.

When they got some in, I stocked up. I try to keep a can or two around for the dogs -- whatever #2 problem they have, it fixes. If they have the runs it firms 'em up, if they're constipated it loosens 'em.

kruser · Nov 20, 2009

James - Where are you at?
I'm just west of Peoria but get over to Morton quite a bit for jobs, Farm & Fleet, dentist, etc. 80 year Folks live in Lincoln so sometimes I don't get to stop as I would like.

Jim - but you can call me James

Anonymous-0 · Nov 20, 2009

A U-pick-it farm that has an annual "pumpkin patch" activity for kids just plowed under TWO FIELDS of pumpkins a couple days after Hallowe'en. I drive by there 5 days a week, and I wondered why they never harvested these pumpkins for sale, but apparently there wasn't enough demand. But the day I drove by, they were discing chunks of pumpkin into the two fields.

So if there actually IS a shortage of pumpkins...it sure as hell didn't happen around HERE. You simply don't plow under an apparently healthy crop when there's an impending shortage. I'd bet it's more likely that Nestle didn't sell as much canned pumpkin as they'd hoped, so they're crying "shortage" to drive people to the stores.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 21, 2009

Somewhat west of Eureka and not too distant from Metamora. Farm & Fleet is my favorite store and visit often. The better half would rather go to just about any other store. Never understood her reasoning, because she definitely is an enthusiastic shopper. Try but am not always successful in maintaining a lower profile, however fairly religiously follow both yours and Billonthefarm postings. Also unless I'm confused, glennster is somewhere around Odell or Dwight, so generally peruse his crop posting updates.

NutsaboutCombines · Nov 21, 2009

Hey, while you"re just tossing the bulk to the pigs, I"ll make you a good deal on a large quantity of the saved, dried seeds. You don"t even have to bother with cleaning them, if you can just "comb" them from the majority of the pulp, fill a couple of 5-gal pails, spread out to dry, and I"ll happily give you something, plus the shipping. All I need to know is the variety.

NutsaboutCombines · Nov 21, 2009

I always thought Libbey's was the largest canner of pumpkins.
Every year, I buy at least 2 full cases of canned pumpkin. I make a few pies, but year-round, my favorite drink is "pumpkin nog" and pumpkin smoothie. I know it's way better to eat the fresh, raw pumkin, and I do that, too, when in season, but by far, it's the canned stuff that sustains me.

I do eat some seeds, too, but as per stated above, I'll happily buy any large, bulk quantity from leftover fruits, since I feed hundreds of exotic birds and small animals.

Seeds of other cucurbits, such as gourds, big, colored hard-shelled squashes, etc, are also always welcome, too.

Ozlander · Nov 21, 2009

Must be a long lasting shortage, I have never seen a can of Nestle
pumpkin. Nothing but Libby's around here.

Pumpkin shortage

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