I have eaten my fair share of Halloween candy this past week, although I am a bit sad that October is slowly coming to a close. These fall months are one of my most favorite times of the year as the temperatures start to drop (thank goodness) and we see harvest in full swing throughout the countryside. As I was parading around the grocery store trying to find the perfect combination of treats that I could hand out to the trick or treaters that would be knocking on my door, I started to take notice of all the fall inspired treats that were stocked on the store’s shelves.
When I think about fall, I immediately think about pumpkin spice everything. I think as millennials, our minds are programmed to this. When the end of August rolls around, we are bombarded with pumpkin spice flavored advertisements. Candles, air fresheners, deodorant, coffee etc., the list could go on and on. This year, I couldn’t believe the number of dairy products that were partaking in this craze.
Some may scrunch up their nose at the words pumpkin spice, but I am totally here for it. In fact, my go to Dunkin’ order is Pumpkin Spice Iced Chai. As I was buying milk at the gas station the other day, I noticed they also had a pumpkin spice flavored milk in stock. Naturally I grabbed a bottle to try. Honestly, it was one of the best things I have ever tasted and was reasonably priced too. I remembered seeing pumpkin spice flavored coffee creamers and even yogurt in my excursion to the grocery store the other day and decided to do some research. I found dairy products such as pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin butter, and pumpkin eggnog, not to mention a ton of recipes that included pumpkin and dairy products together such as pumpkin mac and cheese!
As I was doing my research, I also came across something quite surprising to me. Cows can be great recyclers of our jack o’ lanterns once Halloween comes to an end. Cows have the ability to break down many foods that humans don’t have use for – making them a great recycler! Cows can gain many valuable nutrients from pumpkins, including fiber, protein, and vitamins A and E. Because of this, cows can produce the milk we love that goes into our pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin cream cheese.
Happy Fall!
Jenna Byrne is an associate editor for Hoard’s Dairyman. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2022, majoring in agricultural business with an emphasis in communications and marketing. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm near Neillsville, Wis.