Harvesting Pecans

Last week while sitting outside I happened to look up at the Pecan Tree and was thrilled to see Pecans ready to be picked.  The timing was perfect, the outer green shells had opened like the petals of a flower (first upper left photo).  I ran inside for this colander and grabbed a tall stepladder on the way out.  Every branch I could reach was enough to fill this container.  There are still plenty left since the tree is very tall so I’ll need a taller ladder to harvest more.  I rinsed this batch and laid them out a dish towel to dry.  These are the best nuts, they have a paper like shell that makes cracking them a breeze.  I’m so thrilled to have harvested a few before the selfish squirrels had a field day.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind sharing since there is more than enough to go around with the wildlife & us.   Plus it keeps them from digging up my flower bulbs over the winter.    Oh if you want to learn more about this tree you can check out  my fellow VA blogger  Janet @The Queen of Seaford’s post Tuesdays Trees-Pecan carya.  She does this post weekly about a local tree and it is very educational.  Or you can check out a post I did last year about this wonderful native here.

note:  by the way I changed the theme of my blog to reflect the season.  oh and the pecans were tasty, tried some last night.  yum!