Say What! That's Not Real Pumpkin Puree in Those Cans?

I'm not gonna lie here, but I thought those cans of pumpkin pie filling are made from real pumpkins. Apparently they're not.

It may not feel like Fall here in Central Texas, yet but technically it is. There are plenty of signs that Fall has arrived, and by signs I mean pumpkin spiced everything. All the coffee shops are highlighting their fall menus with plenty of pumpkin spiced this and that to offer.

Lots of folks are even planning ahead for their Thanksgiving meals and stocking up on all the favorites. Stuffing, cranberry sauce, even canned pumpkin pie filling for all those delicious pumpkin pies that will be served this year, but did you know that the so-called 'pumpkin' in those cans isn't even real pumpkin at all?

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Surprise surprise, but it turns out that just because the can says "100% pumpkin," it may not mean that it's pumpkin at all. It's squash.

Truth be told, I don't spend my free time surfing through myrecipes.com, but fortunately I know people who do and according to an article from Sept. of 2016, the pumpkin puree in those cans marked "100% Pumpkin" isn't not pumpkin at all.

It's a mixture of different kinds of squash that Libby's produces on their own, then cans, and sells to the public as "pumpkin." What's more is that the USDA is totally cool with them selling it as "100% Pumpkin Puree."

Now, to be fair, the folks at ChowHound point out that pumpkins are a type of squash, but the canned pumpkin folks throw in winter squashes and other squashy things.

Yep, mind blown. I've been telling my wife for years that I don't like squash, and it turns out that I love squash, especially in a pie crust and topped with whipped cream.

There, we blew the lid off this pumpkin fiasco once and for all. You're welcome.

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Top 20 Restaurants Central Texans Wish Would Come to Temple

A while back, I asked the good people of Temple if they could picture a good restaurant to fill the lot on North General Bruce Drive where the soon to be torn down Long John Silver's stood.

This was before it was announced that a Dutch Bros. Coffee location would open there (which was one of the places I predicted as a contender in our article).

So now Dutch Bros. is open in that spot, but the responses to my survey were interesting because they paint a picture of just how diverse Temple's population is. People recommended some familiar restaurants with locations in the surrounding area, but also a few I'd never even heard of.

Here are the top 20 results of the survey. Let's see what the good people of Temple are craving!

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Don't Be The House on the Block That Serves These Halloween Candies

Halloween is just around the corner, and the kids are gonna be out and about trick-or-treating before you know it.

We want to make sure your house doesn’t get egged or TP’d this spooky season, so here are the treats you should avoid handing out if you don’t want to be tricked!