PUMPKIN SPICE REFLECTIONS

As Pumpkinspicetober winds down, there are still many pumpkin spice products lingering on grocery store shelves. But even if they were giving them away, I don’t think I’d take them. Sampling as many commercial pumpkin spice products as I did was, if not enjoyable, interesting. For those of you with kids — you know how amoxicillin, the antibiotic often prescribed for ear infections, is the color of bubble gum, and looks like it’s going to taste great?

Well, it tastes nasty, and after the first dose, there is no way any kid is going to swallow that without a fight — as a nurse, there were many times I had to hold a patient’s nose and squirt it down the back of their throat, hoping I wouldn’t wind up wearing it. That’s how pumpkin spice was for me. It looked (in most cases) and sounded great — until I tried it. After a week or so, just the smell of some of the products would cause my eyes to water and the faint feeling of nausea to set in. I actually did spit out a few — Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses and Pumpkin Spice Latte M&Ms, to be specific.

My personal feelings are that commercial pumpkin spice products have had their run (there will always be a place for homemade pumpkin spice treats). Time for a new kid on the block next fall. I think Caramel Apple has a promising future. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to cranberry and gingerbread and peppermint, which are slowly starting to creep into stores.

Just to recap, here are the products I sampled:

PUMPKIN SPICE PRODUCTS I WOULD BUY AGAIN:

Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice Swirl Bread

Kellogg’s Frosted Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts

Chobani “Flip” Pumpkin Harvest Crisp Yogurt

Kellogg’s Pumpkin Spice Frosted Mini Wheats

Thomas’ Pumpkin Spice English Muffins

Sur La Table Buttermilk Almond Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread

Pumpkin Butter

McDonald’s Pumpkin & Cream Pie

PUMPKIN SPICE PRODUCTS THAT WERE FUN TO TRY ONCE:

Pumpkin Crunch