Hello everyone and welcome back to Fun Facts™ and since it is pecan season in the south and I am in full squirrel mode I will subject you all to learning things about the pecan tree and its most delectable nuts.
The pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis), of the walnut family, is a large species of hickory tree native to parts of the southern United States. Naturally it prefers to grow in riparian areas, and is prone to breakage and uprooting in high wind conditions when not sheltered.
Interestingly, it is one of the most recently domesticated major food crops, but “wild” populations have long been appreciated by Native American populations as well as later settlers.
The reason it is so appreciated is, of course, these.
(picked by me)
The pecan is similar in many ways to its close relative the walnut, but is less bitter, more oily, and with a far thinner shell. This lends it to many preparations and simply eating them roasted or fresh, but they shine most in sweet deserts.
(like this one^. Baked yogurt with homegrown oranges in rum syrup, topped with toasted pecans)
Unfortunately, this past year in Alabama has been extremely dry, which has led many of the pecans from our orchard to look like this.
But with effort and the channeling of my inner squirrel we have arrived at a reasonable bounty of deliciousness
Growing up, I picked many hundreds of pounds of pecans and at the time didn’t really appreciate them. As I have grown though I have come to enjoy the blessing that they are, and for all that the trees drop branches at the slightest breeze, they are great to smoke and grill things over.
Hope you all enjoyed the tree facts and this trip down memory lane. Until next time.
