From Tree to Table

Come fall, when the last peaches have been eaten and the trees start to nap, pecan season begins. The air smells a little crisper, the days slow down, and the orchards come alive with a different kind of harvest rhythm.

By early fall, the pecans have already spent months slowly taking shape. Through the long, hot summer, the trees focus on growing sturdy shells that protect what’s forming inside. As the days shorten and the nights cool, the magic happens: the meat inside each shell begins to fill out, turning rich and buttery as the oils develop.

This year, steady summer rains were a gift. The extra moisture kept the trees strong through the hottest stretches and gave the pecans just what they needed during that critical filling stage. All that rainfall helped the kernels plump up beautifully, giving this season’s crop an especially full, flavorful bite.

By the time the shells start to split open, the pecans are fully mature and ready to drop, signaling that harvest season has finally arrived.

Unlike our hand-picked peaches, pecans are harvested with a bit of help from some impressive machines. First, a mechanical shaker grips each tree trunk and gives it a quick, powerful shake. Within seconds, the pecans rain down to the ground. Then a sweeper moves through the rows, brushing the nuts into neat windrows, or lines, to make collection easier.

Next comes the harvester, which scoops up the pecans and separates them from leaves and twigs. From there, they head to the cleaning barn, where they’re cleaned, dried, and sorted.

Every pecan that makes it into our bags is raw, fresh from the shell, and never roasted or processed. That’s what makes them taste so rich and buttery — nothing added, nothing lost. Grocery store pecans are often months old by the time they reach the shelf, but ours are packed right after harvest, so they still carry that just-picked sweetness from the orchard.

The Short and Sweet of It

Come holiday season, you’ll taste the difference. These pecans are made for your kitchen. Toss them into a skillet of brown butter, fold them into a pie that reminds you of your grandmother’s, sprinkle them over roasted sweet potatoes, or eat them straight from the bag while the oven preheats.

They’re the kind of ingredient that turns an ordinary moment into something memorable. A bowl on the counter during Thanksgiving prep, a handful on a family road trip, or a pie cooling by the window, all are little signs that another Southern season has come full circle.

When you crack one open, you’re tasting a bit of the same land that gave us this summer’s peaches. It’s proof that the soil never really stops giving when you take good care of it.