It's a unique salsa. I'll give it that. But I wasn't quite sure how well anyone could pull off pumpkin salsa. And just as I had feared, their strategy involved creating a condiment that doesn't taste all that much like pumpkin.
Granted, it tastes more like pumpkin than any other salsa I've ever had, but that's not really saying much. More than pumpkin, I taste tomato, and that's to be expected, since tomato and tomato derivatives are the main ingredients of this and most other salsas. But I also taste more butternut squash than pumpkin. And that's not so expected. But it's certainly not a bad thing, either.
To me, this tastes like a combination of traditional salsa and butternut squash soup. There is a hint of pumpkin puree, but it gets overshadowed in the mix. There's a fair amount of spiciness, mostly from the jalapenos as far as I could tell. The label claims a "medium" level of heat, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. I've never had a spicy pumpkin product before, but in this case, it actually kind of works. There are whole corn kernels, which really add to the texture, but not only that, they create a sort of "flavor bridge" between the traditional spicy salsa and the butternut squash and pumpkin flavors. Corn works exceptionally well as an ingredient in spicy salsas and it adds a lot to butternut squash soup.
In summary, if you think pumpkin and butternut squash sound like they could work in a moderately spicy salsa, then you should deffo check this stuff out. I assume it's a seasonal flavor, so it might not be around much longer. I think it would have benefited from some more pumpkin puree, but that's probably just nitpicking.
I give this product 7 out of 10 stars.
Hmmmm... I am not sure I would have bought this when seeing but... I just might have to try it!
ReplyDeletewww.jaimelovesstuff.com
Yeah, Jaime, check it out if you like the taste of butternut squash.
DeleteYou REALLY need to try the pumpkin cereal bars. SO. GOOD.
ReplyDeleteArcher Farms has pumpkin cereal bars? I didn't see them! I'll have to look more carefully next time.
DeleteI didn't taste pumpkin or squash AT ALL. It was like *all* jalapeno. Super spicy. I like spicy salsa, so I of course ate the whole jar, but it definitely did not taste like pumpkin.
ReplyDeleteWow, yeah, the jalapeno taste was strong, but I definitely tasted both squash and pumpkin, especially squash...maybe just the difference between batches?
DeletePumpkin, on its own, has very little distinctive flavor. It tends to lend an earthy sweetness but by itself doesn't really stand out. That's why pumpkin baked goods are always loaded with cinnamon and nutmeg and stuff. Of course the pumpkin flavor won't pop when paired with tomatoes and jalapenos (which is why I can get away with using a whole 15 oz can in my chili, and no one is the wiser).
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