Pumpkin Bread, Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli, Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese and Apple Cider Donuts are all now on the shelves of the local Trader Joe’s (TJ’s) location in Liberty Station. TJ’s boasts many fall favorites and Point Loma Nazarene Students are here to give their opinions on the autumn options.
Tess Halbert, a third-year biology student, said she pays TJ’s a visit every Sunday after church and claims that 95% of her groceries come from there. Her favorite fall product is the Pumpkin Spice Teeny Tiny Pretzels.
“They are just a really good snack.Tthey aren’t too sweet; you can have a couple and your sweet tooth is satiated,” Halbert said.
She said her least favorite autumn product is the Pumpkin Oat Beverage.
“It’s way too creamy and the pumpkin tastes too fake,” Halbert said.
Despite her distaste for the Pumpkin Oat Beverage, Halbert enjoys some of the other pumpkin products that TJ’s offers. She said she makes French toast with the Pumpkin Brioche Twist by mixing up eggs, cream, cinnamon and brown sugar, adding pumpkin spread and pumpkin spice whipped cream on top. Her recommendation to students on campus without a full kitchen are the pumpkin cinnamon rolls because they are quick and easy to make.
If Halbert’s preferences are a bit too pumpkin-y for your taste, Christa Wiggins, a third-year graphic design student, suggests the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. She shops at Trader Joe’s once or twice a week because they provide affordable and easy-to-make meals for college students on a budget. Wiggins suggests avoiding the Pumpkin Spice Joe-Joe’s Sandwich Cookies because they are way too sweet.
Skylee Crowder, a third-year nursing student and employee at Trader Joe’s said that the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is by far the most popular fall item, but her favorite is the Gluten-free Pumpkin Streusel Muffins. For breakfast, she recommends Pumpkin Bagels with Pumpkin Cream Cheese and for “cozy fall vibes,” the Autumnal Harvest Soup.
Christmas products are put out at the start of November so expect new seasonal items next month.
Steve Anderson