A hint of orange foliage and a slight chill in the air are sure signs that fall has arrived. At least for me, the onset of fall means the start of the pumpkin flavor craze. As it turns out, we can enjoy our most popular pumpkin treats guilt free, because we are supporting dairy farmers! As we don flannels and carve pumpkins, farmers across the country are continuing to work to ensure we have the ingredients for our favorite fall treats.
Day in and day out, dairy farmers tend to their cows. Farmers don’t understand the concept of a nine-to-five job. They are in the barn at all hours of the day (and night), making sure their cows are clean, comfortable, healthy and happy so the dairy products we buy in the store are of the highest possible quality.
A world without dairy farmers.
Without a dairy farmer, our pumpkin flavored goodies would not be complete. The pumpkin spice latte would just be, well, pumpkin spice. No creamy steamed milk to mix in and no sweet whipped cream to top off the beverage. In addition, the inviting scent of pumpkin bread baking in the oven would not be possible without the added butter. Lastly, my personal favorite, and the backbone of every Thanksgiving dessert menu, pumpkin pie, would be missing without heavy cream or condensed milk!
What if you don’t love pumpkin spice?
Even the non-pumpkin spice lovers (do they even exist?) can support dairy farmers this fall. Who doesn’t enjoy a warm, homemade apple pie? Well, you need butter to make apple pie! And if you’re anything like me, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream are required companions.
Butter, heavy cream, whipped cream, ice cream and milk are all products of a dairy farmer’s hard work. These tasty treats are simply another reason that I believe dairy farmers should be celebrated year round.
This Virginia fall looks, and feels, much different than the New Hampshire falls I am used to. Thankfully I can still enjoy my pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin spiced latte (iced, of course, because it’s still in the 80’s here!), while also supporting dairy farmers!
All posts are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of the Animal Ag Alliance.
