OK... How to start... My home town is not quite like The Hill, or vice versa... (That would be: life in one of the biggest metropolis in the world is not quite like the peaceful Kansas countryside). And in this countryside, you work for your food!
So... Plenty of growth opportunities. But as I'm not exactly politically correct, it should read something more like: "plenty of stuff to learn, because I always got everything packed and ready to eat at the supermarket." And guess what? Pecans grow in trees!!!
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| Pecan tree starting to change color - Oct 2012 |
I'm pretty sure that more than half of the people reading this blog will have a good laugh at the previous paragraph, but please remember that I haven't seen this little miracle before. More accurately, I might have seen it a bunch of times, but I just didn't know what to look for; therefore, I was totally oblivious that the shades of those beautiful trees keep that little secret - they were growing pecans! Yummy pecans! (By the way, in the right season, and with the right wind, those good ol' rascals might get you back by throwing pecans at you, so watch where you stand!)
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| Pecans grow in little bunches - the wind was blowing like crazy, and I tried to get a good close-up. This is the best one... (no further comments...) |
A great friend invited me to pick pecans some time earlier this year, after I was surprised to see her take a bag of frozen, native pecans from her freezer. Those things were the yummiest pecans I had ever had, and couldn't get enough of them; I wanted to learn more about them, as well, but according to K, the time was not the right one. And she promised to let me know when it was the right moment to go to her home and work, and she did!
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| Another view of a little bunch up there... Can you see the little green husks? |
The day came, I arrived, we walked to the right area, and I take out the camera... After about 5 or 7 minutes of trying to take it all in, I hear: "Hey! Did you come to snap pictures or work?" Hehehe... It was just beautiful!
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| Examining part of one husk... |
It turns out that wind is your friend; it knocks the pecans off of the tree. You can try whacking it with a tractor, but it's easier to search the ground for those little treasures and pick them up; besides, the bark could get damaged as well. They actually use a sort of big tractor with which they "push" or "shake" the tree in industrial-size plantations.
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| Can you see the green still left and the pecan peeking inside? |
The process is: spot them, pick them, pull the pecan off of the husk, and see if you win the contest of distance-pecan-hull-throwing!! Watch for worms!! :)
Aren't they beautiful? I also learned that the different shells, with their different colors and "lines" indicate the pecan species. I couldn't help but think... God knows when these little pecans started to grow and even told the husks when it was the right time to open... He designed those patterns that differentiate them. God knows. That's the main point. And he knows me, and he is with me and has always been - not matter what!
Nutcracker time is coming!!!
(Feel free to play "The Sugar Plum Fairy" to second the crack... crack... crack... of opening pecans! lol)
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