A Thanksgiving Pumpkin Shortage Might Be Looming

We may have a small problem on our hands, people. According to Libby, manufacturer of the usually omnipresent canned pumpkin, this year's smaller than average gourd crop could leave us with a Thanksgiving pumpkin shortage. But before you go totally Tickle-Me-Elmo on your local grocer, reports say we should be in good shape as far as pumpkin provisions go through at least Halloween. But take this as a friendly suggestion not to wait until the last minute to stock up on your pie fixins for this Thanksgiving, just in case.

The culprit in this potential pumpkin pinch is record June rainfall in Illinois, where around 90 percent of all of the pumpkins in the United States are grown each year. Apparently, crop yields were off by about one-third in 2015, the Chicago Tribune reports. But while that number may seem scary, this is no time to panic. Mohammad Babadoost, a University of Illinois professor who has been widely quoted on this issue, has since clarified that this isn't exactly an emergency — we should have plenty of ammunition in our stockpiles for the amount of pumpkin-everything that we consume during the autumn holidays.

Additionally, though the vast majority of our nation's pumpkin crop comes from Illinois, there are plenty of pumpkin farms scattered all over the US of A just waiting for you to stop by and grab a real live fresh pumpkin for your fall feast. So, whether you prefer to start your recipes from scratch, or pop open a can of already seeded, spiced, and pureed pie filling, it seems like we won't be seeing any shopping brawls until after Thanksgiving... on Black Friday.

In the meantime, my advice would be to grab a couple of safety cans of Libby sometime before Halloween, and stash them in your pantry for a rainy day. In the unlikely event that the pumpkinpocalypse does descend on your town, you'll be prepared.

Looking for more fall food ideas? Check out Bustle on YouTube.

Image: TheCulinaryGeek/Flickr; Giphy