Pumpkin spice, everything good. That’s what fall is made of. Or is it? A viral article titled “I Just Found Out Canned Pumpkin Isn’t Pumpkin at All, And My Whole Life is Basically a Lie”It shocked pumpkin lovers when it claimed that canned pumpkin was actually squash and not pumpkin.
The news was shockingly bad for pumpkin lovers. This didn’t seem logical, as they imagined troves of pumpkins basking in the sun in the pumpkin patch at the farm. It only made sense that pumpkin puree would come from pumpkin patches as magical as the ones where you walk every fall to find your jack o’ lantern.
However, it seems that pumpkin gate viral news is only half true. Even though canned pumpkin is pumpkin, it’s probably not the kind that comes to mind when you think of your fall bucket list.
Canned Pumpkin Actually Is Pumpkin
Canned pumpkin puree can be made, despite what many people believe. IsActually, it’s pumpkin. However, it’s not your typical bright orange jack-o’-lantern type, also known as field pumpkins.
Canning pumpkin is often made from Dickinson pumpkins, or Dickinson squash. There’s a saying that beauty is in the pie of the beholder, and the Dickinson squash is no exception. This quirky gourd is a heirloom pie pumpkin and the favorite pumpkin of many chefs and bakers.
Dickinson pumpkins, unlike field pumpkins, are uniformly smooth, tan, and round. They are also unique in taste, which is a great attribute. Dickinsons are not like field pumpkins. Their delicious, dense flesh makes them a favourite choice for pumpkin pie-making.
They are also creamy and delicious, much like butternut squash (they belong to the same family). Dickinson pumpkins are a great baking ingredient due to their high water content.
Field pumpkins are not the official mascot of fall season. They are stringy, watery, and tasteless. As the saying goes, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.