Harvesting Pecans: Tricks on Collecting! Tips for Storing!

Best Tips and Tricks on Harvesting Pecans in the Fall.

Autumn is the time for southern pecans. Pecan harvesting doesn’t have to be a hard and long process at the homestead. Here in the piedmont of North Carolina, which is hardiness zone 8a, our pecans start to fall by the middle of October through the end of November every other year. And the south is known for an abundance of pecan orchards and street-side trees. When we went shopping for our homestead years back, we were thrilled to see a copious amount of pecan trees on the property.

The husband and I ended up counting ten pecan trees on our one-acre lot one afternoon. Three of the trees are old and large and grown close to the back of the house. The others are all on the perimeter of the property line.

The trees close to the house are so perfect for a couple of reasons. First, they are large and make the perfect shade for outdoor play and work. In the summer, the four o’clock sun is at it’s hottest and shades the back of the house so our air conditioning doesn’t have to run as hard. Secondly, they are old trees and give us a plethora of nuts every other year. We didn’t have to wait years for the trees to mature. From the picture, you can see how large the trees are compared to the house.

Like I stated earlier, I start collecting pecans at about mid-October. It is a fun activity for the whole family since we wait until the nuts fall to the ground from the trees. I have tried to pick them from the trees before falling. But I have found the nut to be stark white and extremely bitter. It is best to wait for nature to take it time. You can see in the picture the difference in nut color.

How we collect pecans

Collecting nuts may be my most favorite harvesting activity. I go out back at least once and sometimes twice a day to collect. It is not only peaceful but therapeutic to tentatively search for those small brown and black nutshells. We use a metal wire nut broom collector wheel that I had found on amazon a few years back. The broom works fantastically and saves you from bending down constantly. Unfortunately, they aren’t perfect. One year’s harvest made smaller than average nuts, and the nuts ended up fall straight through.

Right before pecan season, we cut the grass for the last time, as soon as we see the first signs of pecans falling. We do this because we want the grass to be short for easy visual of nuts. We also don’t want to cut the yard and crush pecans that have fallen.

Finding pecans on the ground

Collecting pecans can be tedious, and you can feel like you are never done. I can walk over a small part of the yard several times in a row, then turn around and see several more that I had missed. As a tip, a new set of eyes is always best when searching for pecans. Pecans are well camouflaged when they fall to the ground. Leaving and returning to the spot later will help you see more than before. The brown shell color with black streaks blends perfectly with the dying brown grass and fallen leaves from the pecan trees. Once you start training your eyes to look for them, you will have no problem, but it does take a few times. Look at the picture to the left. Can you point out the three harvestable pecans?

Check out the picture to the right. Did you get the answer correct? Now when you start looking down, you will start to notice many pecans in different states. You will want to only collect nuts that are in their brown intact shells. If the husk easily peels away from the shells then it is okay to collect. If it doesn’t or if the husk is still green then the nut inside is no good. A black husk will most likely have a rotten pecan inside and the green is too immature and also no good.

Shelling after harvesting

As I collect, I also shell as I need them. We collect a whole lot, so shelling as we go helps the entire process. We typically keep our unshelled harvest on the front porch. The temperature is cool in the fall, so they are perfectly safe to sit off the wet ground and away from the hungry squirrels that can do some damage to my pecan crop. If you have a root cellar or cool, dry basement, then they can be stored there as well.

When shelling, I use the nutcracker, actually a couple of nutcrackers. These are great for multiple types of nuts, not just pecans. I will throw the broken outer shell pieces in the compost and store the actual nuts in a Ziploc plastic freezer bag. Pecans are not like walnuts; the shells are not at all toxic to compost or the garden when they break down. I keep the nuts dry and airtight bag then store them in the freezer. The raw nut can be kept in the freezer for up to a year or so. But if your home is anything like ours, then your pecan crop will never make it that long.

That wraps up this post on harvesting pecans. If you have any other questions, please comment down below. Also, check out some of our delicious recipes that use fresh pecans.