   Getting Ready for the Camp Verde Pecan Show - November 29, 2000 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County It's pecan harvest season! So, who has the best pecans? To find out, the Town of Camp Verde will host a Pecan and Wine Festival on February 10, 2001. The festival will include displays and talks on culture of pecans and grapes, pecan and wine tasting, folk arts, music, and a Pecan Show! Given the number of pecan trees in Camp Verde, the pecan show promises to be a fun and educational event for both commercial and backyard pecan growers. Read on to learn about collecting and selecting the best pecans the upcoming pecan show. It is essential that the grower use the best-known cultural practices (i.e. fertilization, irrigation, pruning, tree spacing etc.) in producing their pecans to ensure the best quality under the environmental conditions where the trees are grown. Even when using the best-known cultural practices, additional procedures should be used to select the best nuts for the sample to be entered in a show. At a pecan show, a sample of 40 nuts taken from a single tree is judged based on: (1) size, (2) percent kernel (the percent of kernel in proportion to the whole nut), (3) kernel color (actual color of the kernel with bright yellow being ideal), (4) in-shell appearance, (5) uniformity (size and shape), (6) number of whole kernel halves after shelling, and (7) degree of insect damage. The first three of all the characteristics listed above are the most important and are used by the judges in determining winners in each class in most cases. Characteristics four through seven are used when large numbers of samples are being judged. The following suggestions should aid you in collecting and selecting the best pecans for a show once they become mature. 1. Select nuts form young trees when possible. Young trees have greater vigor and produce larger, better-filled nuts. 2. Select nuts from trees with lighter crops and/or fewer nuts per cluster. Heavy crops cause excessive drain on the tree resulting in poorer quality nuts. 3. Harvest pecans immediately following drop. Generally, pecans that fall early are of better quality than those exposed to the elements for longer periods. 4. Do not pick nuts from the shuck if the shuck is green or the nut is still attached to the shuck. This means that the pecan has not dried properly and the shell of the nut will turn a light color, which is abnormal and viewed as undesirable by judges. These nuts will also contain excessive moisture at the time of cracking and shelling. 5. After collecting pecan samples, leave them at room temperature for two or three days so that they will dry to a moisture content suitable for shelling. After they have dried, place them in a cool environment (refrigerator) until they are submitted to the show. The sample can be placed in a cool, dry environment for a couple of weeks if air circulation is adequate. Make sure that nuts are open to the air and not clustered together. 6. If there is more than one tree of a particular variety to select a sample from, crack and shell a few nuts from each tree and observe the interior quality. Look for solid, well-filled kernels as opposed to kernels with opening in and around the kernel. Also, observe the color of the kernel to check for stink bug damage (black spot). If damage is evident, select another tree or location if possible. 7. Do not alter the physical in-shell appearance of the nut such as polishing or rubbing. Again, avoid nuts that show evidence of insect damage on the shell. 8. If time permits, determine the weight of each individual pecan for entry so that a uniform sample will be selected. The heaviest nuts should be used for the sample. It is better to have a uniform sample than an assortment of large and small nuts. Check also for abnormal shape, cracks, splits, or blemishes. 9. Harvest sample pecans from healthy undamaged areas of the tree. Sometimes a portion of a tree will be defoliated by a pest or environmental factor prior to nut maturity. This causes poor quality. 10. A qualified sample consists of 40 nuts. It is better to enter 41 or 42 nuts to be sure of your count because sometimes a nut can be lost during handling. Entries consisting of 39 or less nuts will be disqualified. 11. Prevent nuts from getting wet prior to harvest and selection. If a pecan gets wet, it will cause the kernel to darken and adversely affect the natural in-shell appearance of the nut. The above information was excerpted from a publication written by Dr. Michael Kilby, University of Arizona Fruit and Nut Specialist. I hope this column inspires all of you pecan growers to start preparing your entries. Starting February 5, 2001, entries can be brought to the Camp Verde Chamber of Commerce, Camp Verde Parks and Recreation Department, or to the Summer Place, 213 E. Quarterhorse Lane, Camp Verde. For those without their own pecan crop, the Summer Place is also an excellent source of high quality, fresh, local pecans (call 520-567-5202 for availability). I hope to see you at the festival. |