Is It Pumpkin Season Already?

Here we go! It is not officially fall and people are talking/networking about pumpkin this and pumpkin that. You have got to be kidding. It is 100 degrees outside.Yes, we can wish for cooler fall-like weather but, as many of you Texans know, we could end up with over 90-degree weather through October.

First of all, pumpkin recipes of all kinds have been appearing on the internet, everything from pumpkin bread to cupcakes with pumpkin flavored icing. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top is a top-notch dessert during Fall or the Thanksgiving season, but can you imagine eating that now? In my opinion, it is to be consumed after the first cold front when a person can savor that delicious cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger mixed with the smooth and dense custard.

Many people wait for months for their first taste of a pumpkin latte. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is a coffee drink with a mix of traditional autumn spice flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) steamed milk, espresso, sugar, then topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice. The spicey scent of a pumpkin latte usually means the arrival of fall. But right now, a hot Pumpkin Spice Latte does not sound as appealing as a tall glass of ice tea.

What about those people who already have decorated with pumpkin yard art? I saw wooden pumpkins displayed in a flower bed last week. I took a double take. I could not believe what I was seeing.

I’ve been waiting for real pumpkins to appear in grocery stores. My granddaughter insisted that we put a real pumpkin outside our back door last year. One thing for sure, I’m not purchasing a pumpkin till it gets cooler. I do not want to see a baked/rotten pumpkin outside my back door due to the high heat.

Why do people love decorating with pumpkins? Pumpkins represent the coziness of fall and they are a classic tradition of Halloween. I would much rather decorate my yard and inside my house with pumpkins and fall flowers then skeletons and anything scary.

Carving pumpkins is another tradition for many families. Pumpkin carving was started by the Celts and was done to ward off evil spirits during the festival of Samuin. (A festival where many of the Halloween traditions come from.) Can you imagine seeing a carved pumpkin in someone’s front window while it is 100 degrees outside?

During this heat many of us are thinking, wishing and dreaming of the first cold front and those beautiful orange pumpkins. Just remember we could have a few more weeks or months of summer and the pumpkin decorations may have to be postponed for a little while longer.