Best of Great Lakes Bay: Pumpkin

It’s autumn, and that means pumpkin “everything” has made its way to menus everywhere. We asked our readers what their favorite pumpkin product was.

Pumpkin Pie

It’s no surprise that 66.7% of our respondents voted for pumpkin pie as their favorite pumpkin product. This symbol of harvest time is everyone’s favorite dessert with its spiced pumpkin-based custard. A topping of whipped cream or ice cream certainly doesn’t hurt. Could it be that we’re also a little nostalgic? While we have a bevy of autumn flavors to choose from these days, it wasn’t always the case growing up. Certain scents and flavors harken back to our carefree childhoods and just the sight of them gives us endorphins of the good ol’ days.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

The popular drink with a blend of blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves came at in No. 2 in our poll. It was invented by Stanford University athlete Peter Dukes for Starbucks in 2003 — and the rest is history. Even though the drink didn’t rank first in our poll, we do think it is one of the most photographed items for Instagram in September and October, only to be replaced by hot chocolate and a candy cane in December.

Not a fan of pumpkin anything

Coming in at No. 3 in our poll was the blanket answer: “Um no, I’m not a fan of pumpkin anything.” Is it because of the early barrage of pumpkin flavors all over television and social media being extra annoying, sort of like Christmas stock in stores before Halloween? Or maybe it’s all related to science, culture, genetics and our taste buds. Only the Great Pumpkin knows for sure.

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

Your opinion matters, so let your voice be heard.

Each month, Great Lakes Bay Magazine will showcase a “Best of” feature that is voted on by our readers. The topic will be posted to our polls in the Great Lakes Bay Magazine Facebook page, where fans can vote on all sorts of food-related topics in the region. Connect with our Facebook page today @GreatLakesBayMag