Pecans are Falling
Pecans are a staple in many recipes. To ensure you have the best quality nuts for your next dish, harvest pecans as they drop from the trees. Do not wait and try to harvest them all at one time at the end of the season.
“Harvest your pecans promptly for best quality. Don’t let them lie on wet ground for extended periods of time. The shells need to dry out . They may taste a little green until they dry.
As soon as pecans fall from the tree they begin to dry and cure.
This process improves the quality of the nuts until they reach their optimum appearance, aroma, flavor and texture. If the nuts get wet after initial drying the seed coat will darken and the oil in the kernel increases the fatty acid levels. This condition causes the nut to be stale and rancid. Take pecans to a dry location inside.“Drying is one of the most important steps in assuring a high-quality appearance and flavor in pecans. “If possible, spread pecans out in a dry, moderately warm place and dry several days before storing. Once dried to a crisp texture, pecans should be refrigerated or frozen.
So grab your bucket and and start filling it up. Get in a cozy place at night and then start to cracking. And you can’t help but munch on them while you try to fill up your bowl. Once you crack them, the shelled pecans can also be frozen until you are ready to use them.
Storing pecans
Pecans stored below freezing can keep for two years. Be sure kernels are dried properly before freezing. Lay the nuts out several days in a warm, dry place. Kernels should be crisp and break easily in half if dried properly.
“Don’t store pecans in packages with apples or other fruits,” he said. “Also, don’t store them in rubber-like packages or in rooms that may be musty.” Pecans absorb gases from the storage atmosphere, which can change the flavor and the pecan’s stability.
Caring for your pecan trees in the fall
If you need to apply lime or zinc to pecan trees, fall is a good time to do so. Soil testing will provide detailed instructions on fertilizing and liming. Clean up and destroy pops, shucks, leaves and limbs to reduce pest problems.
Pest problems
If trees have lost leaves by Nov. 1 because of aphids, downy spot, pecan scab or other damage, expect to see a reduced pecan crop next year.
Pecans are so worth the picking up and cracking. They are so tasty .
Here are some ideas that are sure to please.
Add some spice to your New Year’s celebrations with several bags of our Cajun Spiced Pecans. Always a best-seller, these pecans are roasted and buttered, then seasons with our special blend of Cajun seasoning to make a hot, spicy south Louisiana treat.
2. Premier Pirogue Gift Package
Make this beautiful, hand-painted Pirogue the centerpiece of your celebration. It’s filled with an array of pecan items including our famous Classic Seven, Chocolate Caramel Candies, Supreme Nut Mix, Roasted Pecans, Pecan Pepper Jelly, and much more.
Of course, fudge is not complete without pecans.
And if you aren’t lucky enough to have your own pecan tree, you can always order them. And start using them in so many ways.
If you need some help with those recipes, check out Mama’s Divinity from Paula Deen’s recipe. Its the old fashioned way of divinity.
Source: Amazon
Remember as a child learning the difference between an aquarium and a terrarium. I went right from minnows in a glass jar to wanting the glow in the dark fish in an aquarium. I remember bringing home the square glass container. The fish survived the trip home in the plastic bag, but after a month of sporadic feedings and not maintaining the water temperatures needed, my little glow fish went to the other side and I was left with an empty container. I felt I had let my fish down, and as a eight year old, I felt like it was the end of the world. My Dad came to the rescue. He said , “why don’t you try making a terrarium with your empty container?” I didn’t know much about terrariums; certainly no more than the I did about aquariums. I was unsure, but dad boasted my interest . I went to the local library and found a book on terrariums. It seemed pretty easy. I needed pebbles, small charcoal , potting soil and plants. Once you plant them in the glass container, you put a lid on it and watch your plants grow. 
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I can’t help but think of my favorite romantic author. He writes love stories from the heart. He makes it all believable and you fall in love all over again with love. Nicholas Sparks ! He is not a native of North Carolina but he reminds me of a saying my husband told me when we met. ” I may not have been born in North Carolina, but I got here as soon as I could”. Nicholas Sparks resides in New Bern NC. This little town,in fact, is where my husband and I spent part of our honeymoon. A beautiful, quaint, easy living city on the Neuse and Trent Rivers .
It is the birthplace to Pepsi. And Pepsi has its own museum you can visit. My husband and I visit New Bern when we are passing through traveling to Atlantic Beach, NC. And in our last visit, my husband took me on the tour by Nicholas Sparks’ home. I know, of course, we didn’t see Nicholas, but the ride on the river was worth it all, plus seeing his home was a treat. When Nicholas Sparks’ book , The Notebook was made into film, my girlfriends and I had to see it. We were then forever fans of anything Nicholas wrote . And he has continued to write many love stories . When his book, Nights in Rodanthe was being filmed at the Outer Banks, I had friends who auditioned to be extras and were able to say, ” I was in a movie with Richard Gere.” You can still see the cottage , Serendipity, but it has been purchased and moved to a safer location. After Hurricane Bill, it nearly crumbled into the ocean. In the movie it was called The Inn At Rodanthe.
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