GROW BACKYARD PECAN TREES for Nourishment and Nostalgia
When I was growing up in sunny Florida, my grandmother had a backyard full of citrus trees, along with an avocado and pecan tree. My older sister and I claimed the latter two as our personal climbing trees. Whenever we became “lunch-y” during the fall months when we played outside, there was no need to have to stop and go inside to eat. We’d simply snack on the abundance of freshly fallen pecans from the grand, old pecan tree.
I’ve always felt a little nostalgia surrounding each tree’s first fruits of fall. For me, it brings back those sweet memories of eating the pecans at my grandmother’s house. There’s nothing quite like the simple joy of taking the nutcracker and cracking into those fresh pecans from the backyard pecan tree. To plant a pecan tree and finally get to realize the fruits of your labor is an even greater reward than taste alone.
Not only are pecan trees an attractive landscape feature, but they provide significant tangible benefits as well. A pecan tree’s shade can greatly increase outdoor enjoyment, providing a comfortable respite and shelter for people and livestock. Additionally, a tree presents an energyconservation opportunity, requiring less air-conditioning usage on the farmstead because of increased tree-shaded areas. And, of course, there’s the obvious end result of the buttery pecans and their byproducts for home or commercial consumption.
