Pecans are a nutritional powerhouse, but have you ever wondered where our super-delicious pecans come from? We’re here to reveal the journey from our 100-year-old orchards to the mouthwatering nuts in your Pecan Nation snack bag. Although it seems simple, harvesting pecans requires knowledge and the right tools. Pecans must be harvested at the right time, and thorough drying and careful shelling are required to ensure your favorite nuts get to you in perfect, yummy condition.
Let’s explore the Pecan Nation harvesting process!
When Are Pecan Nation’s Homegrown Pecans Harvested?
Georgia has the perfect climate and growing conditions for delicious, healthy pecans. The Pecan Nation team of fifth-generation farmers tends over 7,000 acres of pecan trees. We’re committed to continuous planting, meticulously pruning and tending our trees so future generations continue to enjoy Pecan Nation products.
Our pecans are harvested from October through December, which is when Georgian pecan trees prepare for Fall’s leaf drop. Once our pecan trees start preparing for the cooler months, the outer husks on the pecans begin to shrink back and dry, revealing the perfect football-shaped nuts inside. Although we harvest our pecans in the last three months of the year, freshly collected pecans have a long shelf-life, which means that Pecan Nation pecans are always in season for snacking and baking.
How Do We Know When Our Pecans Are Ready to Harvest?
When the heat of Summer is over, pecan trees begin to show signs that let us know the perfect time to start harvesting has arrived. Just because it’s harvest season doesn’t mean the pecans are ready, and we wait patiently until we notice the following signs before we spring into action:
- Brown outer husks: The first telltale sign that pecans are ready to be harvested is that the outer protective husk changes color from green to brown.
- Cracked husks: When our pecan nuts reach maximum plumpness, the outer protective husk surrounding them dries and splits.
- Pecans start falling to the ground: Pecans don’t all fall at the same time, so when the first few brown pecan nuts start appearing under our trees, we know it’s time for our annual harvesting season to begin!
Harvesting Pecans to Ensure Pecan Perfection
Pecan harvesting is a carefully orchestrated process — nuts need to be collected without ever damaging our trees. We use commercial harvesting machines with mechanical arms that attach to the tree limbs and gently shake them to loosen the nuts. These special tree-shaking machines make it easier to harvest more nuts at once. The shaking motion encourages nuts that are ready for harvesting to fall. Since not all pecan nuts are ready at the same time, each tree in our orchards is shaken twice per season.
Once the nuts are on the ground, they’re brushed into rows away from the base of the trees to make it easier for harvesters to collect them. Our specialized pecan collecting machines include rolling pickers or pecan pickers, which easily scoop up the nuts and leave everything else behind. Nuts are collected shortly after shaking so we can control the drying process and get consistently delicious pecans in each pack.
The Pecan Drying Process
After we harvest our pecans, it’s drying time, which cures pecans to help preserve them and transforms them into versatile, tasty snacks and baking ingredients. The first step in Pecan Nation’s drying process is thorough screening. All our pecans undergo careful inspection to ensure they’re quality nuts that deliver the pecan perfection we are famous for.
Since pecans naturally contain a lot of moisture after they’re harvested, they must be dried. The nuts are laid on shallow sheets and dried for around two weeks. Pecan Nation pecans are dried to a precise 4% moisture to lock in freshness and keep them plump and tasty all year round. The pecans are then ready for a final quality check before shelling and bagging them.
This stage is when we work our extra special Pecan Nation magic and create utterly irresistible pecan temptations. Our homegrown nuts complete the journey from tree to bag by being transformed into one of our signature flavors and quickly bagged to lock in freshness.
Storing Our Scrumptious Pecans
All pecans require proper storage to keep them fresh for snacking and baking. Preserve their golden hue and mouthwatering flavor for longer by storing them in a cool, dry area such as a cupboard or pantry. Our pecans are sealed in airtight packaging to preserve freshness, but you can maximize their shelf-life by popping them into the refrigerator or freezer.
Once you open the packets, seal them in airtight containers and keep them away from moisture. With correct storage, you can have delectable pecans on hand whenever you’re craving a healthy snack.
Enjoy Our Georgia Pecan Harvest All Year Round
From our extensive orchards in Georgia to you, Pecan Nation tirelessly tends, harvests, and packs the perfect nuts and delivers them to stores near you.
Enjoy the rich golden color and buttery taste of fresh, homegrown pecans whenever you need them. Shop online or find them in-store and discover your new favorite snack today!
