Local pecans are available, and I've been working on shelling the bag of Grand Bay nuts I bought last weekend at the downtown farmers' market. According to this AP news story, this year's dry weather in the southeast has helped the pecan crop considerably.
Slow Food USA lists the American Native Pecan as "not explicitly endangered, [but...] at risk and in need of revitalization."
The nuts are delicious, with a rich, buttery flavor, and you can sometimes see the oil in the meat while you're shelling them. The high oil content is why you need to quickly refrigerate or freeze them to prevent spoiling. The University of Georgia's National Center for Home Food Preservation has a nice page describing how to shell and store pecans. A useful tip for shelling them: soak in boiling or hot water for 10 minutes or so. It helps release the meat from the shell and they tend to come out whole (or closer to it).
I usually prefer walnuts as my go-to nut for salads, cooking, and baking, but it's nice to use pecans for a change, especially since they're local. They worked great in my mom's brownie recipe!
What's your favorite thing to do with pecans?
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