Sunday, September 22, 2013

Pecans then and now

The 9/20/13 Clarksdale Press Register stated, "George Washington liked ‘Mississippi nuts so much he planted his own pecan grove at Mount Vernon and they are still producing.'

“Pecan trees were here before we were. The Algonquin called them ‘paccan,’ which means ‘food from a tree that is so hard, it needs to be cracked with a stone.’

“On a mid-nineteenth century Southern Louisiana plantation, Antione, a slave, grafted trees until he got a softer shell pecan. In 1876 the name ‘Centennial’ was given to the variety to commemorate the nation’s 100th anniversary.

“The U.S. produces over 80% of the world’s pecans. According to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the 2012 pecan crop totaled over 150,000 tons.

“Heaton Farm Manager Brian Fyfe said, ‘If Georgia doesn’t have a good crop, prices could be low.'

"The pecan price is also influenced by the international market. If China buys millions of pounds, the price rises.

“In the 1960’s Heaton’s planted two varieties: Desirable and Stuart variation. Customers can buy them in the shell, shelled, roasted or chocolate coated, to name a few." heaton-pecans.com

2013 Red Convertible Travel Series

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