Proper Harvesting and Storage of Pecans Improve Quality (2024)

FAQs

Proper Harvesting and Storage of Pecans Improve Quality? ›

When pecans first fall, they often contain excessive moisture. They must be properly dried before being stored. Proper storage preserves nut quality until your next pecan harvest. Improper storage often leads to the darkening of kernels, and rancidity of the oils which destroy the natural flavor and aroma of the nuts.

Want to know the secret to keeping your pecans fresh? It's simple. Just keep your pecans in airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator or freezer. When you are ready to serve, you can bring them up to room temperature or cook with them right away, no thawing necessary.

Low fertility and an inadequate amount of zinc can limit nut production. Fertilize according to soil test and tissue analysis. Without a soil test, the rule of thumb for fertilizing pecan trees is one pound of 13-13-13 fertilizer per tree for every year of the tree's age, up to 25 pounds.

Harvesting pecans is, of course, incredibly simple if they are allowed to drop from the tree naturally. You can also encourage the nuts to drop by knocking them from the tree with a long pole or shaking the branches.

Allow the pecans to dry in the shell for a couple of weeks or so. Once the nuts are dry enough, you'll be able to break open the hulls without much effort. Rounding up, always ensure to pick your pecans during the late fall. After all, you'll be able to snap the kernels effortlessly only when the nuts ripen.

Nuts with higher fat content, like walnuts and pecans can also go rancid after a few months if stored at too warm a temperature. If you notice that your nuts have taken on a noticeably bitter, sour flavor, they may have entered this unfortunate phase.

Use ammonium sulfate as nitrogen source and/or zinc sulfate as foliar spray. Use ammonium sulfate as nitrogen source and/or zinc sulfate as foliar spray.

Choose well-drained soil, provide drainage for excess water and keep trees watered during dry periods. Poor pollination- A single isolated pecan tree usually won't be effectively pollinated, since most varieties shed pollen either too early or too late to pollinate the female flowers of the same tree.

The soil at the planting site should be a well-drained soil with a rich sandy loam and at least 3-5 feet deep with a porous subsoil. Soil pH should be 6.0-7.0. They like neutral to slightly acidic soils. Pecan trees grown in such soils likely will not need any nutrient fertilizers except nitrogen and zinc.

When to Harvest. Harvest pecans in early September through November when they have fallen from the trees. Start your harvest in 3-8 years depending on the variety and growing conditions. Watch for a substantial portion of the husks to have split and opened and the shell to turn brown before gathering.

Can you eat pecans straight from the tree? ›

No, you cannot eat the green nuts that fall off prematurely from the trees as they've still not ripened. Only those nuts that ripen fully by Fall (and hence ready to harvest) are worth eating as they have the rich invigorating flavor you normally associate with nuts.

Like you, owners of pecan trees often find a sizable number of green pecans on the ground. Unfortunately, these pecans are not ripe and once off the tree will not ripen further. Within a few more weeks your pecans will be ripe enough to eat - as long as you can get to them before the squirrels.

Water is probably the most important environmental factor in the growing of pecans. Lack of water will reduce the production of nuts, the size of nuts, as well as leaf and shoot growth. Adequate soil moisture is important from bloom through late summer and fall.

Anderson regarding proper pruning of pecans. “Trees at planting are normally a whip without branches. A newly planted tree should have between ½ and 1/3 of the top removed so as to bring roots and shoots into balance. (But this is the only time the tops are removed).

In-shell pecans can be stored at room temperature for a short period of time. Keep in a refrigerator, if so desired, to keep for longer than 4 months. If pecans need to be stored for more than a year, either in the shell, cracked, or shelled, they have to be placed in the freezer.

Sealed plastic bags are best for storing pecans in the freezer. In-shell pecans can be stored in a cool, dry place for 6 to 12 months. They can be refrigerated up to 18 months and frozen for about three years.

Around room temperature, in-shell pecans can last for up to 4 months. At chillier temperatures, they can last for much longer. Frozen, in-shell pecans can remain good for several years.