Great Customers

We are so lucky to have some really great customers. Being a small family owned business, we have many opportunities to get to know our customers...not only what kinds of pecans they like, but also a little bit about their families and their lives.

Many of our customers have lived extraordinary lives...done great things...even written best selling books. Some may have not gotten awards or honors or travel to exotic places, but the lives they live every day have made an impact on their loved ones.

Just recently some of our customers have shared with us heart breaking stories about what all they have been through recently. While it is all so sad I am amazed at each person's positive outlook on life, their faith, and their sheer determination to simply live each day to the fullest.

My life at times gets "nuts" as you can well imagine. There are days where I just struggle with even the smallest setback. However, God has a way of reminding me that I am lucky. I have a job. I have my health. I have a healthy daughter. I have friends and family who love me. I have food and clothes and a nice home. I am truly blessed. It is always nice to remember to "count your blessings."

We take pride in having great customer service at the Pecan Shed and thanks to our wonderful customers it is easy to continue that tradition. May God bless you all.

Cheyenne Pecans are Here

We now have Cheyenne Pecans available in the shell and cracked. These pecans are light in color and have a "sweet" taste to them. They are wonderful for baking.

Smaller and rounder than the other types of pecans we have, the Cheyenne is very unique. Stop in for a taste to see which variety of pecan is your favorite.

We still have the Wichita and Mohawk pecans available in the shell and cracked and we have the Pawnee available in the shell, cracked, and shelled.

"Trick or Treat" your loved ones this weekend with fresh pecans!

Sign Up to Get Emails...

Thanks to my fabulous Hannah...you can now sign up to get an email from the Pecan Shed Blog every time I post something new. It is FREE and you will only get emails when I make a new post.

I hope you all join so you can keep up-to-date with what is happening at the Pecan Shed!

More New Crop Pecans...

This afternoon Dad brought up some of the Wichita and Mohawk pecans in the shell. We did not get a lot but we do have them available for retail at the Pecan Shed.

We have them in the shell in a 5 pound bag for $18.75 each and cracked in a 5 pound bag for $20.25 each. We do not have them available shelled.

The Wichita pecan is medium in size. It fills out very tight in the shell. You will get well over 50% pecan meat from this pecan. It is a little darker in color but has a lot of oil. The Wichita pecan is great for roasting and toasting.

The Mohawk pecan is large in size. It fills out well but not as full as the Wichita or Pawnee. It is very easy to shell out. We usually do not have the Mohawk due to the fact we do not have many Mohawk trees so this pecan is very limited in availability.

Stop by soon and taste each variety to see which is your favorite.

Cranberry Nut Homemade Fudge

Cranberry Nut Fudge is now available at the Pecan Shed.

We had several customers ask us to make this flavor so yesterday Kathy whipped up a batch of it.

If you like cranberries you will love this fudge. It is so pretty and pink...Dotty and Presley just love the color!

Stop in soon for a taste!

Clarification...

If you read Dad's report from KAUZ he said he will harvest one million pounds of pecans on a good year.

Some of our customers are a little confused so here is a bit of clarification for you.

We can harvest around one million pounds off of ALL our orchards. We have about 800 acres in orchards (both old ones and new ones) and we have about 25,000 trees total (native, papershell, improved varieties, etc.). Some trees are native pecans, some are the older varieties, and some just do not fill out well enough to be retailed. These types of pecans are what we send to China and/or shelling companies.

We do not retail one million pounds of pecans. It would be nice, but that is not the case.

The one million pounds includes every pecan we grow...some are top quality, papershell pecans that we retail at the Pecan Shed in Wichita Falls...some are not.

Hope all this information helps!

Tim Makes the Local News...

Texoma Pecan Growers Trying To Keep Up With International Demand - KAUZ-TV: NewsChannel 6 Now | Wichita Falls, TX

Buying Pecans...

The Pecan Shed starting buying pecans from the public on Monday October 18th. We started out paying $0.70 per pound and now we are paying $0.80 per pound.

All the pecans the Pecan Shed buys go either to a national shelling company or are shipped over to China. None of the pecans are retailed at the Pecan Shed (the pecans we retail come directly from the Montz Orchards in Charlie, TX).

In order to buy pecans, they must be new crop pecans, filled out well, have no leaves or any type of trash in them. We also cannot buy pecans that are cracked or shelled.

Buying pecans is based on a market price determined by many factors beyond the Pecan Shed's control. The price can also fluctuate day to day. It can either go up or down without warning.

If you would like to sell your pecans to the Pecan Shed you can bring them to the far right side of the building (look for the large red arrow). We are open 9am until 5pm Monday through Saturday.

Find Our Fudge at the Feathered Nest

The Feathered Nest located in the Sikes Senter Mall now has the Pecan Shed Fudge available in Pumpkin Pie with Nuts. They will also be carrying the Chocolate Pecan Fudge tomorrow (we had to make it up today and will be delivering it asap in the morning).

If you have not been to the Feathered Nest you need to stop by. They have a great assortment of home decor items, women's clothing, shoes, and jewelry, and so much more.

The Feathered Nest also has a location in Henrietta, TX just off the main square. Both stores and stocked full of wonderful and unique treasures for your home or office and have wonderful gifts for friends, family, and coworkers.

Pecan Shed Commercial...

Caramel Pecan Pie Recipe

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten lightly
1 12 oz. jar caramel topping
2 cups PECAN SHED pecan pieces (large pieces work best)
1 9-inch deep dish pie shell, unbaked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine eggs and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Mix in topping and butter. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into unbaked deep dish pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

WE SHIP FRESH-SHELLED PECANS ALL YEAR!

All Parties Must End...

Birthday Cake Fudge is going...going...and will soon be gone!

Like all good parties, the celebration of the Pecan Shed's "birthday" must end...thus we only have a little bit of Birthday Cake Fudge left.

We need to get ready for the upcoming holiday fudge flavors and that means we have got to make room in the fudge case.

Hurry in for one last bite of Birthday Cake Fudge. Once it is gone it will not be available again until October 2011.

2010 Brochures are Ready!

Our new 2010 brochure just arrived. Of course it has all our great tasty pecan products in it but the best part of all is it has the new pictures of Dotty and Presley.

If you would like to have a brochure mailed to you please send me an email with your address. The Pecan Shed email is pecanshed@aol.com or you can call toll free 800-317-3226 and request a brochure as well.

Traveling...

It is that time of year again. The time when I barely get to sit down or even stand still. Today though I was lucky and James from Paris Pecan Co stopped by. He and I had made plans to go by and see Valley Pecans in Chillicothe, TX.

Valley Pecans is a great retail store owned by Mike and Kelly Baustert. Not only do they have all kinds of pecans but they also have a great selection of gifts.

It is always interesting to see how different stores, in different locations, with different clientele do things. Some ideas other stores do would never work at the Pecan Shed but some things we have tried.

I also like to see that all stores change and adapt just like the Pecan Shed. We are always learning new things, trying new products and tactics, and we sometimes find the best answer is the simplest one.

As James and I talked today, I have learned as I have gotten older and my life has become fuller (thanks to a sweet 3 year old girl) that the KISS philosophy (Keep It Simple Stupid) is the only way to go.

Caramel Pecan Pie Video

NEW CROP PECANS ARE HERE!

The Pecan Shed now has in stock the 2010 Pawnee pecans available in the shell, cracked, and shelled. The Pawnee pecans are the most popular variety of pecans we sell. They are great for baking or just eating, they shell out easily, and they have a beautiful color to them.

Check out the Pecan Shed's website...www.pecanshed.com...for more information about pricing!

Nuts for a Cure

The Pecan Shed now has our Plain Chocolate Fudge decorated on top with pink and white M&Ms in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. We call it our "Nuts for a Cure" Fudge.

For every pan (which is 24 pieces) we sell (either by the piece or by the pan), we will donate $50 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization (up to $500 total).

Breast cancer has touched each one of us in some way or another and we want to be a part of the fight to find a cure.

Not only is this fudge really yummy but it also will go to benefit a really good cause.

The Last Free Weekend...

New Crop Pecans are coming very soon to the Pecan Shed so that means I am about to be working at least 6 days (if not 7) a week. With all this in mind I booked a Girl's Weekend with my friend Jeri and her friend Kori.

Jeri and I headed to Frisco Friday afternoon where we met up with Kori. We ate. We shopped. We talked. We had a blast. But the best thing we did was we had a spa day on Saturday at Valencia Day Spa & Therapy Center located at 7600 Stonebrook Pkwy Suite 200 in Frisco.

I promise you if I could afford it, both in time and money, I would go there once a week. We got an hour of each...massage, pedicures (with the works), and facials...and the entire package cost $200 (which was a bargain let me tell you).

All the ladies that worked on us were fabulous and Michelle Reed, the owner, was a joy. But Lek Tonarttanavin who was the massage therapist was the highlight of the day.

I have had a lot of massages. I have had them in Wichita Falls, Henrietta, Austin, Ft. Worth, Stephenville, Las Vegas, and probably a few other places I am forgetting but Lek was by far the best ever.

She did not hurt...well at least after we confirmed my pressure threshold...and she really made the whole experience pure pleasure...literally I moaned. I would offer to pay her relocation expenses if she would move to Wichita Falls but I bet Michelle would not appreciate that.

It was so nice to get away and relax before life gets NUTS...both figuratively and literally. Thanks to Kori for letting me and Jeri stay with her and her hubby and for driving us "non-city" girls all around Frisco and Allen.

Harvest Time...

I have been told that we have begun to harvest the Pawnee pecans out in our orchards in Charlie, TX. This means pecans are just about a week away from being available in the store.

Once we get the pecans harvested from the orchard floor they then start a multiple step cleaning process before the pecans are actually available for sale to the public. The pecans must be "blown" to separate the light pecans that are not filled out well from the heavier pecans that are filled out well. The pecans are run through on an inspection table to check for holes or cracks in the shell. Then the pecans are sanitized in a bleach bath. Next, they are run through a sizer to ensure a uniform size is sold. Then the pecans are put into drying bins to remove any moisture which causes the pecans to taste green.

After that the in the shell pecans are inspected again to make sure they were not damaged in the cleaning process. If all is well, the pecans are then bagged up in 50 pound bags and ready for me to bring to the store to sell. We retail pecans in the shell in 5 pound bags for $18.75. If you would like them cracked a 5 pound bag is $20.25.

Shelled pecans still have a few more processes before they are ready for retail. Once the pecan has been through the cleaning process it must then be cracked and run through our shelling machine. After that, the pecans are inspected to check for shells still on the meat, broken pecans, or pecans that are not filled out well or have a blemish. Once they are inspected the pecans are then bagged up in either a 1 pound bag that we retail for $8.50 or a 4 pound bag which is $31.95. We also wholesale pecans in a 30 pound bulk case. Wholesale pricing is subject to fluctuations in the market so it is best to call to check on wholesale pricing.

Whew! That sounds like a lot of work...and it is. However, we do all this to ensure top quality papershell pecans are all that we offer our customers. We take pride in all parts of our business. From orchard management to the retail experience...we want to have the best in the business...and we think we do have just that!

Christmas Time is Coming...

...Christmas Time is Here!

The Pecan Shed is all decked out for the season...well sort of. We have all sorts of great things to help YOU decorate for the season.

Our display is packed full of unique Christmas ornaments. We specialize in Texas and Western ornaments so if you are looking for something that is one of kind you will find it at our store.

We also have "boot" stockings, western kitchen towels, Christmas mugs and so much more.

Of course pecans make a great Christmas gift for anyone on your list. The 2010 crop of pecans will be available by the end of October. We still have 2009 pecans available and all our candied and spiced pecans too.

Put on your Santa hat, grab your list that has who all has been naughty or nice, and head over to the Pecan Shed. We are open Monday through Saturday 9am until 5pm.

Merry Early Christmas Y'all!

Birthday Cake Fudge is Back!

For a limited time only...Birthday Cake Fudge is back at the Pecan Shed. This fun fudge flavor is our way of saying "Happy 29th Birthday" to the Pecan Shed.

Come in for a sample soon!

Happy Birthday!

The Pecan Shed turns 29 this year. As for the official "date of birth" for the store I have no idea. My parents don't either and apparently did not keep good enough records to have documented such a thing.

I assume they were just hoping to survive a year when they opened...maybe 5 or 10...and they really had no idea it would last this long or grow this much.

The store originally was located in Byers, TX and was open only a few months during the year. Basically just Mom and Dad ran it with the help of Kathy when things got really busy.

As the business got bigger, my parents decided to relocate to Wichita Falls and stayed open year round. Now during the busiest time of the year the Pecan Shed employs around 15 people. Most are college students and thus we have to accommodate class schedules but we typically need about 10 people working the store at all times. This does not even include all the people that work out in the pecan orchards year round.

So without knowing the "exact date" I just always celebrate the Pecan Shed's birthday in the month of October...pretty much the entire month. This helps to kick off pecan season and it just so happens to be my birthday month as well so it is convenient to remember.

My parents started this company when I was 2 years old (yep...you can do the math...and if you would like to subtract rather than add I will be more than happy to go back to 27). I hope someday Presley and/or Dotty will want to take over the store and who knows...maybe years from now my grandchildren (or maybe even the great grandchildren) will be celebrating 100 years of the Pecan Shed.

They still will have no idea about the actual date the store opened but they can have the celebration in October...any day is fine with me.