I got in a tiny tiff over on Twitter while in a manic phase when I responded to one too many Halloween PR pitches by saying pumpkin does not belong in coffee or beer or anywhere near chocolate. Who knew there were so many devotees of odd combinations? Or students of Colonial brewing history? It’s all a matter of taste, and since I could live happily without chocolate I can’t be wrong in insisting it should not be allowed to marry pumpkin. But even the most ardent aficionado of weird should concede that the latest tie-in, pumpkin tea, is a pot too far. I’m picking my fights better, or I would also have pointed out that fresh pumpkin is really not a good substitute for canned. Having spent a morning in a cannery in the pumpkin capital of the world, watching how a full ton is cooked down to 600 pounds, I know the main ingredient of this particular squash is water. If you bake a pie pumpkin you are asking for oozy. It’s great chunked in risotto or chili, but as a purée for pie it’s soup.