Christmas and New Year’s Eve are fast approaching and I’ve always thought that all the preparation we do for one week of the year is rather magical. Everything becomes a bit more dazzling and a warm joyous attitude envelops all of us. I love the baking, the decorating of the house, the tree trimming, and the shopping for presents. I fondly remember our house as I was growing up. There was always Christmas music, a fire in the fireplace, my dad making his famous peanut brittle, a lot of family friends, and quite often nuts to crack and eat, including pecans. I don’t remember where we got the pecans or why I associate them with Christmas only, but it probably has something to do with the fact that the nutcrackers were always stored in the Christmas decorations and we never really saw them any other time of the year. I felt triumphant when I was able to crack the hard pecan shell and lift out the wonderful nut with a shiny metal pick.
Pecans are native to the United States and more specifically to the Mississippi River Valley; they have grown in Texas since prehistoric times. The word comes from the Alogonquin word “pecane” meaning “nut so hard as to require a stone to crack.” Whether you pronounce it “pihKAHN” or “PEEkan” depends on where you were born, but Texas governor James S. Hogg probably used the latter pronunciation when he said, “Let my children plant at the head of my grave a pecan tree and at my feet an old fashioned walnut tree.” In 1919, thanks to Hogg, the pecan was named Texas’ state tree. George Washington had pecans at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson also fancied the tree enough to have them transported from Louisiana for his orchards at Monticello.
The top five pecan producers are Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Louisiana. The pecan is a member of the Juglandaceae family, along with the walnut, but is more closely related to hickories than walnuts. The pecan tree can grow to 100 to 120 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 to 4 feet. It has a relatively short, bare trunk before its forked branches appear. The trees have dark yellow-green leaves that are smooth to slightly hairy on top. The pecan nuts grow in clusters of 3 to 11 at the tips of stubby twigs. Inside each green husk is a droplet of nutrient-filled liquid– the substance that will eventually become the “meat” of the pecan. As the pecan takes shape, a papery skin develops around the jelly-like matter and it grows into the “meat” of the pecan we know and love.
Pecans are harvested when the shuck loosens from the shell, or when the shucks split. They are then harvested with trunk or limb shakers and gathered on tarps or mats or by machines. The nuts are then separated from shucks, leaves and other debris, then dried in forced air heaters to a low-moisture content.
The pecan tree is also known for its wood. Pecan and hickory woods are rated as the number three hardwood group in the United States. It falls behind only black walnut and black cherry in terms of value. Pecan wood is used for furniture, skis, tool handles, gymnastic bars, floors for gymnasiums, roller skating rinks, and piano construction. It is also a popular wood for smoking meats and cheeses.
Pecans have significant medicinal values as well. They are a great source of antioxidants. Pecan kernels contain 65-70 percent oil. A paper published in the Journal of the American Diabetes Association in 2000 showed that pecan consumption significantly lowered total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in both high and low cholesterol subjects. The result was a lower LDL/HDL ratio that reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.
No one will argue that pecans can be incorporated into any meal and are especially known for their use in pecan pie. Look on the Internet and you’ll find over 1,000 different versions of pecan pie. Pralines, a popular candy, are also often made with pecans. Of course there is also pecan-encrusted meats and seafood, pecans in salads, stuffings, vegetables, and cakes.
When buying pecans, select ones that are a uniform golden brown in color and size. Nuts can be stored in their shells for about four months at room temperature. They’ll last up to nine months in the refrigerator and a year or two when stored in the freezer.
This holiday season, try some of these wonderful recipes using pecans. Have fun in the kitchen and spread some good cheer. Smiles will appear when you serve these wonderful pecan creations.
This article appears in March 2024.