Trees of the San Bernard Basin
Part 2 - Pecan
Probably the
most common tree found along the San Bernard
River and adjacent woodlands, the pecan is the
official state tree of Texas. There are 600,000
to one million acres of native pecans along the
numerous rivers, streams, and creeks in Texas.
The major streams on which dense stands of trees
are found are the Red, Sabine, Trinity, Neches,
Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe, and Nueces. The
pecan is one of the most widely distributed
trees in Texas. It is native to more than 150
counties and is grown commercially in thirty
additional counties. Commercial use in Central
and West Texas greatly increased with the
development of new varieties and with many new
orchards being irrigated. Texas is the largest
producer of native pecans and ranks second
among the states in orchard grown pecan
production. The pecan is also a fine shade tree.
In March 1906
just before he died, former Texas Governor James
Stephen Hogg requested that a pecan tree be
planted at the head of his grave rather than a
traditional monument. He wanted the nuts from
that tree to be given out and widely planted to
help make Texas "a land of trees." His wish was
carried out. People began to take special notice
of pecan trees and in 1919 the Texas Legislature
made the pecan the state tree. Gov. Hogg is
buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.
The United
States produces at least 80 percent of the
world's pecans. The U.S. crop typically ranges
between 300 and 400 million pounds. Other
countries that produce pecans are Mexico,
Australia, South Africa, Israel, China and
Argentina.
When stored
at 0 degrees in the freezer, either shelled
meats or inshell pecans will maintain quality
for two years. Under refrigeration, pecans
should maintain their quality for several
months. Storing pecans at room temperature is
not recommended. Shelled pecans do not have to
be thawed before use in recipes. However, if you
are grinding the nuts in a blender or processing
in a food processor to produce pecan meal, the
meats should be allowed to dry at room
temperature when taken out of freezer or
refrigerator.
The Texas
State Tree: Pecan
