Do you remember the picture of the snow- capped pumpkins that I posted five weeks ago? Yesterday I baked two of them and here they are just out of the oven. I am using them to make our Thanks- giving pie.

Have you noticed that canned pumpkin and Eggo waffles are flying off the grocery store shelves and leaving empty places? There is a reason for both. Two Eggo waffle plants have been shut down. I am not absolutely certain about one; at least one is in Georgia where the flooding occurred. I believe that the plant was flooded out. The freezer shelves may not be restored until sometime in 2010.

Likewise with the pumpkin. Nestle holds Libby's label and says their primary pumpkin growing area near Peoria, Illinois is experiencing crop failure. In addition, Libby's does not have a backup stock this year. The price of Libby's pumpkin is significantly higher than other brands which has increased sales of the other brands. Libby's produces significantly more pumpkin than the other brands. When the Libby's pumpkin is off the shelves, that is it for us. We have to hope for a good crop next year and that the reserve can be built up.

So if you want to insure that you can bake pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cake for Christmas in the US, get some extra pumpkin right now. I really do not know how this affects supplies outside of the US or even if there is as great a market for pumpkin.

That being said, I hope that the US residents have a good Thanksgiving holiday. We are gathering together and have made our grocery purchases. We will be having a fresh, not frozen turkey. It is cold enough today for it to safely rest on the porch. There is so much for which we are grateful including you, our friends. For those readers who are not US residents, it is always a good idea to take a couple moments for gratitude.