All plants /Tree /Pecan
Pecan
Carya illinoinensis, walnut family. Common in Central and East Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Nuts after husks split
- How
- Raw, toasted, pie
- When
- October into December
- Where
- River bottoms statewide; the state tree
- Value
- Fat, protein, minerals
Caution: Street-tree and roadside nuts pick up whatever the ground holds; favor clean ground. Mind ownership: many Texas pecans stand on private land.
Harvesting
Wait for the husks to split and shake or gather from the ground within a few days of falling, before weevils and squirrels take the crop.
Storing
In-shell pecans keep for months somewhere cool; shelled meats go rancid at room temperature, so freeze what you will not eat by spring.
Photo: Roger Culos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.