All American

Yes, pecans are native to North America and were the main food staple for Native Americans who for thousands of years planted pecan trees while also harvesting wild trees. They ate the nuts roasted, ground into meals and mixed with fruits and beans. The long-lived, deciduous pecan tree grows well over 100 feet tall and produces slim, bright green, toothy leaves. The fruit of the tree grows in clusters, the pecan we eat found inside the fruit’s inner hard shell. One of the few North American natives to thrive as a major agricultural crop, the pecan tree is prized for its hardwood, its shade giving and its distinctly sweet nuts.

Bit of History

A member of the hickory family and closely related to the walnut, the pecan's original botanical name was Hicoria pecan but was changed to Carya illinoinensis in the late seventeenth century. Fur traders brought the pecan to the Atlantic coast from Illinois, calling them Illinois nuts, hence the latin classification of illinoinensis. The term pecan comes from the Algonquin Indian word paccan or pakan, meaning a nut that needs to be cracked with a stone. The term pecans first appeared in print in 1773. George Washington planted pecan trees at Mount Vernon, a gift from Thomas Jefferson who popularized them in the South.

Pecans Grades:

Pecans come in the following grades:

• Fancy - Golden color, no defects
• Choice - Darker than fancy, no defects
• Standard - Harvested green (fuzzy kernels), mottled color, shriveled ends, etc.
• Damaged - Broken or cracked kernels

Storage Tips

Are pecans good for you? You betcha! Next>>

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Natchitoches Pecans, Inc.  
439 Little Eva Road
Cloutierville, LA 71416
ph. (800) 572-5925 fax (318) 379-2247
email: nuts@natchitochespecans.com

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