-Isms: Views on life in rural America

I will start by apologizing to my daughter Courtney.

While I like the changing colors of fall and absolutely love football, I do not get excited about pumpkin spice everything.

Sorry. I just can’t.

With the exception of a pumpkin butter, laced with vanilla, I recently purchased, the thought of pumpkin invading every fall food and beverage choice is a turnoff.

Maybe I need to clarify. I don’t mind a pumpkin spice latte with extra froth once or twice a season.

Every single day from August until the new year? No.

Pumpkin mac ‘n cheese? Um, I will try a nibble or two because there’s limited pumpkin spice.

Pumpkin pizza? I watched USA Today’s foodie videographer make it, but I’m not sold on his “pumpkin pie loaded with sausage” on top of a pizza crust approach. No traditional pumpkin pie spice though. Just sage and garlic.

Mom’s pumpkin muffins, though ... now there’s a pumpkin-spice product I can support and make a kitchen pantry staple.

Let’s be honest. If I crave pumpkin spice, I’ll make a plain old pumpkin pie or a loaf of pumpkin bread.

I blame Starbucks for this nonsense. Seriously though, even the coffee megagiant didn’t use real pumpkin in their overpriced drink until 2015. Until then, just sprinkles of spice would suffice. There’s no real pumpkin in pumpkin pie spice.

According to Food and Wine, while trying to develop the fall latte favorite, Starbucks research and development team would pour shots of espresso on top of pumpkin pies and taste the combination in search of the perfect ratio of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Starbucks estimates the chain has sold more than 424 million pumpkin spice lattes, in the U.S., since introducing the drink in 2003.

Now, the market is saturated with pumpkin spice products, a genius marketing ploy to boost fall sales, no doubt. There’s pumpkin pie Jell-o pudding, Swiss Miss pumpkin pie hot chocolate and Pumpkin Pie Premier Protein shakes.

Heck, there’s even a limited edition of pumpkin spice SPAM. Excuse me, but no. Who every thought that would be a great combination?

Nielsen and Forbes estimate pumpkin product sales increased to more than $600 million in 2018.

That’s a lot of great pumpkins, Charlie Brown.

Johns Hopkins University researchers say the pumpkin spice scents of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice triggers memories - seasonal memories - including family time, Thanksgiving dinner and the crunch of leaves being raked.

I understand the psychology behind the scent. I get sentimental every fall because I equate the season with Husker football, which triggers family memories I will always cherish.

It’s the same with pumpkin spice. It’s not about the pumpkin, it’s about the spices and those memories, like baking cinnamon rolls on a chilly fall day or sipping apple cider and going on a hay-rack ride.

In the fall, I’m all about Earl Gray tea with a splash of cream and hint of lemon.

That’s not sexy to market on a T-shirt though.