Overview

Harvesting is one of the most rewarding parts of growing pecans, but it’s also one of the most time-sensitive. Once nuts begin to fall, the clock starts ticking. Delays in gathering, cleaning or drying can lead to mold, off-flavors or kernel darkening that reduce quality and storage life. Fortunately, with a little planning and a few simple tools, home growers can harvest and handle pecans in ways that preserve their flavor, texture and value.

This publication will cover:

1. When and How to Harvest Pecans at Home: Signs of nut maturity and shuck split, importance of timely harvest to prevent quality loss, and differences between natural drop and mechanical shaking.
2. Harvesting Methods for Home Orchards: Hand-harvesting tools and techniques, using tarps, rakes or nut rollers, and when mechanical shakers or sweepers may be practical.
3. Cleaning and Sorting After Harvest: Removing leaves, sticks and debris; simple home-scale cleaning methods; and why early cleaning improves drying and storage.
4. Drying Pecans for Quality and Storage: Why drying is essential after harvest, target moisture levels for short- and long-term storage, natural drying versus small-scale mechanical drying, and how to avoid rewetting and mold.
5. Storing In-Shell Pecans at Home: Ideal temperature and humidity for storage, how long pecans can be stored in-shell and when to consider refrigeration or freezing.
6. Shelling Pecans at Home: When to shell (immediately versus just before use), manual shelling tools and tips for home-scale cracking.
7. Understanding Basic Grading for Home Use: What “percent shell-out” means, simple visual grading (full versus shriveled kernels) and when to sort out moldy, dark or damaged nuts.

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