PECANS - A NEW AUSTRALIAN NUT CROP
Pecans, native to the North American Continent, were an important source of winter food to many Indian tribes over thousands of years.
Wild Pecan trees are still to be found in the U.S.A. and Mexico, mainly growing along rivers in fertile valleys.
Spanish explorers observed American Indians eating Pecans during the winter of 1533. They wrote that tribes travelled great distances to spend the winter months in Pecan localities and that the nuts were a major source of food.
Cabeza De Vaca a Spanish nobleman, on an expedition to the Gulf of Mexico was shipwrecked in 1529. He and three companions were the only survivors and lived with Indians until 1535. De Vaca on returning to Spain, wrote of his experiences in 1541. He recorded that Pecans were "The subsistence of the people for two months without any other thing". He also observed that the Indians were healthy and athletic.
In 1729 French settlers on the Mississipi River learnt from the Indians to crush Pecan kernels and use them for seasoning various dishes to thicken venison broth and bake in corn cakes.
As Europeans settled in America the use of Pecans grew rapidly and plantings increased.
George Washington was known to enjoy eating Pecans and his diary of 1794 recalls his planting several Pecan Trees.
Native Pecan trees simply grow from nuts falling to the ground from existing trees. Indians and American settlers also took Pecan nuts to new areas and planted them; those trees are known as "Seedlings" and differ in size and shape.
Seedling Pecan trees do not produce nuts every year. Most nuts from seedlings are small but good to eat.
In 1846, a African slave named Antoine, successfully grafted 110 Pecan trees while working on a cotton plantation in southern Louisiana. These trees grew evenly and produced regular crops each year and became known as the "Centennial" variety. The plantation "Oak Alley", became the first commercial orchard to produce Pecans for sale. Some of the original "Centennial" trees still produce quality Pecans.
Horticulturists recognised the advantage of growing grafted trees and set about increasing the range of varieties. Nuts were selected from trees known to be strong and vigorous. These were planted to produce rootstock. Grafts were selected from trees producing quality nuts and placed on to the rootstock.
Approximately 160 varieties of Pecans are now available in the U.S.A. and these trees regularly produce quality crops.
Deane Stahmann Snr. was a pioneer of modern methods in Pecan production. He developed a 1600 hectare
orchard at Las Cruces, New Mexico, beginning in 1932. At that time most Pecans were grown in the south of the U.S.A. Mr. Stahmann extended commercial Pecan growing 500Km
westward and his management practices became the basis for expansion of Pecan growing in west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
The Australian industry is being developed by Deane F. Stahmann
Jnr. At "Trawalla" Moree, N.S.W.
"Trawalla", previously a dry pastoral property, was purchased in 1968 and has been transformed into an irrigated Pecan orchard. Production comes from nearly 70,000 trees established in three on farm nurseries.
Two varieties are grown at "Trawalla" they are, "Wichita", and "Western Schley". These are grown in alternate rows to enable cross pollination to take place.
Irrigation commences in spring and continues until early autumn. Water is pumped from the Gwydir River and applied every ten days to each tree. Waterings are less frequent at the start and finish of the growing season. The Gwydir River is conserved near Inverell by the Copeton dam.
During summer regular mowing is carried out to control weed growth, and trees are pruned to control shape and size. A large workshop on "Trawalla" ensures efficient maintenance of the diverse range of equipment used to implement this programme.
Harvesting is commenced in winter when the nuts have ripened. Each tree is shaken by a mobile machine and the nuts collected from the ground by mechanical harvesters.
The crop is cleaned of leaves and twigs then dried. These operations are performed on "Trawalla" in buildings specifically designed for each purpose.
Whilst harvesting is being carried out in Australia, American Pecans are sprouting summer growth. A large percentage of the Moree crop is exported to Europe and Japan. Australian demand is high and Pecans are still growing in popularity.
The American community consumes approximately ninety million kilograms of Pecans each year.
Important though the Pecan was in the diet of the ancient American Indians, today's
space age nutritionists have recognised the unique properties of the
Pecan, and Pecan nuts were the only NATURAL FRESH FOOD included by N.A.S.A. in the diet of the astronauts in the Apollo missions thirteen and fourteen.
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