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State Pumpkin Shortage Threatens Everyone's Favorite Seasonal Food

By Rachel Cromidas in Food on Oct 6, 2015 7:13PM


We could be facing a pumpkin shortage this fall, at the height of the season of pumpkin pies, pumpkin carvings and the spiced-lattes named in the fall gourd's honor.

Crop experts say there might not be enough pumpkins to go around this Thanksgiving, though pumpkins are currently on sale ahead of Halloween. Pumpkin yields in Illinois, the nation's largest pumpkin producer, could be off by as much as a third this year, according to reps from Libby, the leading brand in the canned-pumpkin market. About 90 percent of U.S. pumpkins come from Illinois, according to the Associated Press.

"Once we ship the remainder of the 2015 harvest, we'll have no more Libby's pumpkin to sell until harvest 2016," a rep told the AP.

One University of Illinois professor recommends not waiting to see how the shortage shakes out ahead of Thanksgiving weekend:

"I would not wait until Nov. 20," University of Illinois professor Mohammad Babadoost said. "I'd buy it whenever it comes to the store."

Now that pumpkin pie has been named the official state pie, we can't imagine going through the holidays without it. So, you heard the experts: get your pumpkins, canned or otherwise, as fast as you can.