another post about pecans

oh, geez, not another post about pecans

I know, I know, but it's the season doncha know.

This is an off year for pecans and not just my trees. Apparently it's across the board as prices for the new crop are high. Last year I collected 7 grocery paper bags full of nuts, at least. This year, a little over half a bag. I even stopped carrying a bucket as I was only picking up a handful or pocketful a day. Gazing up, I could see the trees were tenaciously hanging onto the nuts they hadn't dropped prematurely and I figured that they would become the ones that turn into all the little trees I will be digging up next spring. At least until a couple of days ago.

We finally got enough of a wind, instead of the slight breeze we had been enjoying, to loosen the trees' grip on the nuts. I've collected almost as many in the last couple of days as I had in the couple of weeks preceding. Now I have a full bag of pecans. Still, only a fraction of what I collected last year.

I have tried to find out from people smarter and wiser than I in all ways country how you can tell if they are good or bad before you crack them open. Well, weight is a factor but mostly, in answer to my question people just look at me and shake their heads. Whether they were shaking their heads in answer or at my foolishness in asking, I can't say.

So, in my quest to get more reward for my effort I have come up with a new plan. Actually, this is the second new plan. The first being that I have been picking up all the immature pecans as they have fallen this late summer, and not just because they make me hobble around when I am outside barefoot but because it takes a lot of nuts out of the equation. You know, the good nut/bad nut equation. Hey! I heard that! So my second new plan is I'm going to weigh the nuts and divide them into groups.

This is referred to as the 'scientific method'. I bet you thought I didn't know that.

The heaviest group will go straight to the cracker. The less heavy groups will be tested by hand to see what the ratio of good nuts is to bad nuts. Half and half or better goes straight to the cracker. Less than that, we'll just have to see.