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Fall Trader Joes items
Fall Trader Joes items
Original photo by Morgan Levreault
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A Taste of Fall: Trying Trader Joe’s Seasonal Specialties

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at UFL chapter.

Fall is in full swing and with that comes seemingly infinite seasonal specialties! We decided to visit Trader Joe’s, a spot known for producing unique seasonal products, and see what they had to offer this spooky season. Not only was the store perfectly decorated in true autumn fashion with pumpkins and cinnamon brooms for purchase, but it also had products of all kinds that were tailored to the flavors of the season. We grabbed a few items to see if they tasted as good as they looked!

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All the Sweets

At Trader Joe’s, we had a large selection of dessert options to admire. While most were pumpkin-flavored, there were also some apple, cinnamon and maple-flavored products to choose from. We decided on Pumpkin Bread Mix, Pumpkin and Spice Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix, Pumpkin Ginger Mini Ice Cream Cones and Caramel Apple Mochi. All of these items were a hit with the team (with the exception of the mochi… I really just can’t get behind the consistency!) and were snacks we would definitely purchase again. The pumpkin flavor really shined through in all of these products without being too overbearing. We decided to spice up the pumpkin bread by incorporating some chocolate chips, which took it to another level! It’s been a staple breakfast or mid-day snack of mine since we baked it. 

Fall Trader Joes items
Original photo by Morgan Levreault

An Autumn Entrée 

Fall-inspired flavors in your typical pasta dish might sound a bit outlandish, but Trader Joe’s does an amazing job of smoothly incorporating these flavors to create unique and tasty meals! We decided to try the Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese and Mac and Cheese Balls, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Ravioli, Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bisque, Spicy Pumpkin Samosas, Fall Zucchette Pasta and Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Aauce. I never thought of myself as much of a butternut squash lover, so I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed that flavor in these products! My personal favorite of all these products was the butternut squash mac and cheese balls- with such rich flavor, they really did take like something that would be served at a high-end restaurant! People always rave about TJ’s butternut squash mac and cheese products, and now I completely understand the hype. Another big hit was the pumpkin butternut squash bisque- adding some parmesan cheese and salt made it even more delicious!

Trader Joes Product
Original photo by Morgan Levreault

PSL Season

You know fall is back when pumpkin-flavored drinks hit the market again and cafes reintroduce the classic pumpkin spice latte to the menu. We were excited to see if Trader Joe’s had any seasonal drinks for us to try, and we landed on tasting the La Colombe Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew. La Colombe is available at many different stores, so it’s not exactly a TJ special, but we still had to give it a go, and it was delicious! It’s a great grab-and-go option with a strong pumpkin flavor. 

Even after everything we tasted, we only hit the tip of the iceberg of Trader Joe’s seasonal specialties. I’m excited to return to the store throughout the fall and see what else there is to try!

Hi!! My name is Emily Detwiler and I am currently a junior at the University of Florida. I am studying Public Relations with an outside concentration in Sociology. Since a young age, I've had a passion for storytelling and love everything reading and writing. I also deeply appreciate some good food! I am so excited to mix together two of my favorite things through Spoon! My involvements at UF outside of Spoon include Alpha PR, The Global Gator, PRSSA, Women Building Women and Alpha Chi Omega. When I'm not writing, I can be found hanging out with friends, lounging at the closest beach I can find, or cycling on my Peloton.