What’s the difference? and walnuts: Pecans
he pointed out, before walnuts and almonds “drastically overshadowed” them. Historically, pecans have “very much been a holiday food,” he added, with a large portion of the U.S. crop winding up in bakeries, restaurants and food products such as baked goods, ice cream and confections. Just as almonds and walnuts have expanded their reputation beyond thei r a ssociat ion with bak ing and sweet s, Hendrixson said he thinks the same could happen for pecans with increased exposure and usage. As owner of the state’s only pecan processor, Blake Houston of HNH Nut Co. in Visalia said he thinks his generation of health-conscious millennials are starting to eat more plant proteins, especially nuts, and as people become more familiar with pecans, they will eat themmore regularly. “People love pecans. They just think they only have to eat them during Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he said. “We would like to be recognized as a nut that’s great for you on a daily basis. They taste great, in my humble opinion.” At a glance, it’s understandable why pecans and walnuts can sometimes be mistaken for one another, especially if they’re chopped up or mixed with other nuts. Both tree nuts share similar culinary uses as ingredients in pastries, salads and other recipes. Putting them side by side, though, the two nuts are clearly distinguishable. The dark-brown outer shell of pecans is smooth and oblong, sometimes with dark specks, whereas walnuts have a light-brown shell that’s rounder, with bumps and ridges. The nuts also look dierent on the inside. Pecan kernels are darker with straighter ridges compared to walnuts, the kernels of which have a more-curly structure with folds that make them look somewhat like miniature human brains.
Pecans are a main ingredient in confections such as chocolate turtles, here made by The Candy Box.
“It’s the first nut that we grew here, basically,” Jeffreys Bright said. Roots that run deep Although pecan trees have existed in California for more than 100 years, the state did not establ ish its f irst commercial orchard until the mid-1970s, in the Clovis area, according to the University of California, Davis. That’s more than 200 years after the first U.S. planting of pecans in Long Island, New York. The United States continues to produce the most pecans, accounting for about 80% of the world’s crop. Besides California, 14 other states also grow the nut, with Georgia, New Mexico and Texas being the top producers. Pecans are the last California tree nuts to be harvested, usually beginning in late October and early November. An individual tree can yield nuts for 100 years or more, which is why people say, “you plant pecans for your grandkids: They’re a very long-enduring and -producing tree,” said Mark Hendrixson, a grower in Tulare County who serves as president of the California Pecan Growers Association. Pecans were once the nation’s most consumed tree nut,
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
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