Hello. Today we will talk about a nut, which in appearance
resembles a walnut and is its relative. This exotic product, which has not yet gained wide
popularity in Russia as hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts and other nuts, is called pecan.
Many buyers simply do not know what it is and how to consume this healthy and tasty
fruit. In this video, we will go into detail about this interesting nut.
Although pecan looks like a walnut, its taste and aroma are much softer and brighter, and
the absence of bitterness makes it an excellent addition to desserts. The homeland of the
plant is considered to be North America, where the wild nuts were originally collected by
the Indians. They prepared them for future use in case of a hungry winter, because nuts
were as nutritious as meat. The name "pecan" is translated from the Indian language as
"A nut that is too difficult to crack by hand." Pecan is the state symbol of Texas, which
was recorded in 1919 by the Texas Legislature. There it is customary to call it Illinois
Caria. Many varieties of pecans are cultivated in
the United States today, and they are still a traditional American favorite. No wonder
80% of the world's pecan reserves are located in the southeastern United States.
In fact, pecan grows in the Crimea, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. It's just that the Americans,
or rather even the Indians, were the first to appreciate it, because it was almost the
main source of protein. They ate it when the hunt wasn’t set, took it on a long journey
and stored it for future use. In Europe, the exotic walnut of kings appeared
in the middle of the 18th century, and commercial cultivation began in 1881. At the beginning
of the 20th century, the first seedlings came to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus: Batumi,
Sukhumi, Sochi. So in the Soviet Union, the first pecans were grown in the Batumi Botanical
Garden. It was from that period that the Sochi Pecan Alley (Research Institute of Horticulture)
began its history. A little later, seedlings were planted in many southern regions of Central
Asia. The trees have taken root in the Crimea and
the Caucasus. Later, breeders bred varieties that could withstand frosts down to minus
30 degrees, which made it possible to grow pecans even in Central Russia.
Hazel pecan belongs to the hazel family, genus Hickory. The pecan tree is deciduous and grows
up to 40 meters in height. It can bear fruit for up to three hundred years. Pecans have
a strong mixed root system that holds the plant securely in the soil. In an adult plant,
the main root penetrates into the soil to a depth of more than 3 m, while the superficial
ones extend far to the sides, increasing the root suction surface.
The pecan crown is always spreading. In mature trees, its diameter ranges from 20 to 40 meters.
The trunk is straight, has a gray-brown color with a diameter of 2-2.5 meters. Interestingly,
as it approaches the equator, the diameter of the tree trunk noticeably increases from
50 cm (in the north) to 3 m (in the south). The bark of the tree is thick, deeply fractured,
stratified into plates. The branches are gray or gray-brown.
The leaves of the nut are large. Their elongated plates are ovoid and have reticulated venation.
One petiole usually has 2 to 5 pairs of simple leaves. The vegetative and generative buds
of the nut develop at the same time, so the leaves and flowers appear in the spring at
the same time. It is unlikely that it will be possible to
grow a pecan on a personal plot and get fruits, since it prefers high humidity and a hot climate.
Caria grows in river valleys and deciduous forests. The tree takes root in fertile soil,
and it can also grow for some time in areas flooded with water. Therefore, the problem
of breeding in our latitudes is connected precisely with the fact that, due to the short
summer and the long growing season, the crop simply does not have time to ripen. Although
one variety of walnut (Pecan North) can still ripen in a climatic zone with sub-zero temperatures.
According to its characteristics, pecans are close to walnuts, because this plant is also
dioecious, monoecious, which is very important for its survival. The male staminate flowers
of the catkins hang on biennial shoots. These flowers are in the form of earrings, spike-like
type. They are found at the ends of the branches. And pistillate female flowers in an amount
of three to ten pieces are formed in bunches on the shoots of the current year. The flowering
process begins in May and lasts until the end of June. For pollination, just a few gusts
of wind are enough. Pecans are similar in appearance to olives
or hazelnuts, which is why they are sometimes called "olive nuts". The fruit has a cylindrical
shape, in length reaches from three to eight cm, weighing 15-20 grams. The nut shell is
smooth; when ripe, it cracks into 4 parts. Beige oily kernels covered with dark brown
skin. And if you peel it from the shell, then its
fruit will look like a walnut or a human brain. The pecans also taste like walnuts, but the
pecans are much softer and more tender, and they also have a sweetish taste. Pecans also
do not taste bitter and have only one small partition inside the shell. As a result, it
is noticeably easier to remove the kernel from the shell. In addition, the shells are
thinner and the kernel takes up more space in the pecans. Also an important difference
is the strong shell without cracks and holes, which is difficult to crack. Due to this property,
no insects can harm the fruit of the tree. Therefore, it is best to store the nut in
its shell. These nuts will not change their taste over time.
Pecans ripen in September-October, crumbling like walnuts. It is the crumbling fruits that
are considered ripe. If unpeeled pecans rattle when shaken, then this could mean that the
inside is dry and unsuitable for eating. The first 3-4 years, pecans grow slowly, the
plant reaches a height of only 50 cm. The tree bears fruit from 5-6 years, if grown
from seeds, and grafted plants give fruits from 4-5 years. At first, the harvest does
not exceed 6 kg, adults produce 15-30 kg of nuts per year, and up to 200 kg can be harvested
from old trees. The crop ripens annually. Harvesting preparations
should be done shortly before the nuts begin to fall, given the weather conditions. It
should be borne in mind that the peel represents about 25-30% of the total weight of the nut,
so the nut is much larger while it is peeled than after the peel has fallen off.
Pecans should be harvested when they start to fall, as wet weather can harm the nuts,
and wild animals, birds, rodents or insects prowling in search of food can benefit from
the fruits harvested on time. Pecans are especially fond of crows, squirrels and deer.
Hydraulically clamped tree shakers are often used to harvest the nuts. The machine grabs
the trunk of a tree and from the shaking the nuts fall to the ground. Such equipment is
distinguished by its low vibration amplitude, smooth operation and high productivity. So
one machine is capable of processing 200 trees per hour.
Pecans that have fallen to the ground are transferred by the sweeper into a container.
Early harvest usually pays off if it is for sale. Most of the pecans sold in the US wholesale
markets are bought for holiday baked goods, and the early market prices are the best of
the year. The harvested nuts are sent to a processing
plant where the pecans are cleaned. First, they are unloaded into a common container,
from where they are transported along a conveyor into a special drum. With stirring, the peel
flakes off, and the light fractions are removed with air.
Then the damaged and spoiled nuts are rejected by hand. Fresh nuts contain 12 percent moisture,
which can further spoil them. To reduce the moisture content to four percent, the pecans
are sent to drying. After drying, the nuts are treated in a bath
with a chloride-aqueous solution. Then the nuts are washed in water with a temperature
of 80 degrees, which allows you to remove the chlorine residues.
At the same time, the humidity rises to seven and a half percent.
Then the pecans are split automatically by means of special pistons striking the ends
of the nut. At the next stage, the nuts are sorted by moving on a vibrating sifter.
For those who grow pecans at home, there are a number of small mechanical devices that
will make picking the nuts easier. They will eliminate the need to bend over or crawl while
collecting. It is easy to understand them. See how they work.
Typically, pecans can be stored in loose bags in a cool place for several weeks after harvest.
The quality of the nuts will even improve, especially those harvested early, helping
them to ripen. The ripening stage must not be skipped. Unripe nuts are difficult to chop
and peel. After the pecans have been harvested, they
must be dried before storing. Just like hazelnuts, walnuts and other nuts, they need to be dried
slowly, spreading them out in a thin layer on a plastic sheet in an area of low light
and air circulation. The fruits need to be mixed frequently, and
a fan should be used to speed up the drying process. Drying will take 2 to 10 days, depending
on the conditions. Properly dried pecans will have a brittle kernel and should peel easily.
The plant is unpretentious, but its planting is rarely found in our country. This is due
to the fact that many people simply do not know exactly how to create the right growing
conditions. For those who want to plant pecans, you need
to know that planting and growing it can be done from seeds, by grafting, from cuttings
or budding. He does not tolerate waterlogged soils and
likes moist areas, well-lit by the sun. These are the only requirements that must be strictly
observed before boarding. Most often, seeds and seedlings are chosen for reproduction.
They can be planted in autumn, but it is better to wait for spring.
For spring planting, nuts are stratified by placing them in cool water for two days, and
then in sawdust, where they are for two months. In mid-April, the nuts are planted in the
garden. The tree is very slow in growth. No transplant
is required for the plant during the first three years. At the beginning of development,
a root system is formed in young plants; therefore, the growth of seedlings is insignificant.
At three years old, the height of a young plant does not exceed half a meter. At this
time, it looks like this. And so at 5 years old, so at 10 years old.
As already mentioned, pecan is a tasty and healthy product. It can be consumed daily
and added to various dishes. The walnut smells good. It has a sweet aroma and creamy taste.
Therefore, it is often used to create desserts. Also, hickory is added when serving coffee,
ice cream. Pecans can be the highlight of meat dishes. They are used to season the first
courses, prepare sauces.
In America, pecan is widely used in the confectionery industry as an additive in cookies, sweets,
pastries, and cakes. The most famous is the famous pecan pie. This
is a classic South American dish with pecans as the main ingredient. Along with apple pie,
pumpkin pie, and sweet potato pie, pecan pie is often baked for Thanksgiving. The filling
in this dish is something like a slightly viscous caramel, in which pecans are snugly
nestled. Raw pecans can be salted or sweetened and used as a healthy snack.
Pecan oil is also popular. This is due to its unique beneficial and healing properties.
To obtain a real high-quality oil that retains all the beneficial properties, it is necessary
to apply the cold pressing method. The final product should have a nutty smell and a golden
yellow color. Pecan butter tastes very much like olive oil. As for the composition, it
contains a lot of fatty acids, phytosterols, vitamins and minerals. Pecan oil is widely
used in cooking. It is used for dressing salads. It should be remembered that pecans are extremely
high in calories, because they are 70% fat. With insufficient nutrition, these nuts are
indispensable, and a handful of them can saturate and energize. Pecans are considered to be
the most fatty of all nuts.
Pecan is rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, and also contains trace elements: iron, calcium,
phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc. Vitamins A and E are well absorbed from pecans as they
are fat soluble. They improve the condition of the skin, nails and hair.
Due to the presence of vitamin E, the nut has anti-cancer
properties. Pecan contains exactly that kind of vitamin E, on the basis of which the drug
was made that inhibits the growth of cancer cells. It is possible that regular consumption
of pecans can reduce the risk of cancer. The nut contains oleic acid, which, when it enters
the human body, begins to fight the formation of cancer cells. Walnut helps to normalize
the work of the heart and blood vessels and, accordingly,
prevent hypertension, the risk of strokes and coronary heart disease.
There are also contraindications. So, with obesity, liver problems and a tendency to
serious allergies, it is better not to eat pecans at all, in order to avoid deterioration
of the condition. Thus, if you know when to stop, and this is
the daily consumption rate, 7-8 nuts or 30 grams, and for those who are losing weight
15 grams, then this wonderful nut with a vanilla flavor will only bring benefits.