Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Fudge Flavor of the Month for January is...
...Caramel Pecan Cheesecake! If your New Year's Resolution is to start eating only good things then trust me...this fudge is GOOD!!! It is so yummy that you won't even mind a few more minutes on the treadmill to burn the extra calories. Stop in for a taste today!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Long Time No Post...
Hey Y'all...
So sorry it has been so long since my last post. Pecan season was literally "nuts" for us this year. We were so busy which is a great thing but I barely had time to see Dotty at night much less try to keep up with the blog. Now that things are slower I plan to do a better job though!
This time of year is a time for reflection for many people and that includes us here at the Pecan Shed. We look back at what was great and what was not so great. This year there were a lot of great things that took place and as always just a few...we will call them "lessons learned"!
Our Homemade Fudge was a huge success again this year. We had all the great flavors like Chocolate Pecan, Turtle, Tiger, Butter Pecan, Maple Nut, Chocolate Mint and more but we also added holiday flavors such as Pumpkin Pie, Divinity, and Candy Cane fudge. All three were huge successes. (My favorite was the Candy Cane just because it was so pretty!)
All of our candied pecans flew off the shelf as well. In fact we ran out of Chocolate Covered Pecans...not just once...but TWICE!!! (That was a lesson learned moment...both times! We are slow learners sometimes.)
The Texas gifts and souvenirs as well as all the gourmet food items, cookbooks, and just about everything we did not have nailed down (and some things that we did) all flew off the shelves, especially the two weeks right before Christmas! We had so many blank spots in our store I was about to begin to fill them with drawings from Dotty and Presley but luckily we made it work with what little merchandise we had left.
This time of year, even though I am still exhausted, is when I really begin to look forward to the Dallas Gift Market. I love filling the store back up with new and unique items. This year I will be going to Market on the 16th so check back to see what awesome items we get in!
The biggest "LESSON LEARNED" is that Mother Nature is a crazy lady!!! Back in August and even in September we thought this was going to be a bumper crop. We thought the pecans would be big, huge, and great and there would be LOTS of them. Not so it turns out.
The crop was decent but not great. The pecans were darker and not filled out as well as in years past. Usually we get over 50% of good kernels out of a pound of all our pecans (some varieties even run closer to 60%) but this year due to quality concerns we had to shell out most of the crop and then discard a lot of bad ones.
We had more than enough for the Pecan Shed retail store but we had to turn down many new wholesale orders. That is a shame but it is the name of the game in agriculture. Feast or famine is always the case when it comes to Mother Nature. However, we are luckier than some. Some orchards lost their entire crop due to a late freeze back around Easter last year and some lost their crop due to the drought down south this summer. Thus, we count our blessings!
I hope you all had a great 2009 and will have a great 2010! Sorry this post was so long. I will try to make the others shorter (since I won't have 6 weeks of information to cover).
"Tomorrow is a gift...not a guarantee."
Jill
So sorry it has been so long since my last post. Pecan season was literally "nuts" for us this year. We were so busy which is a great thing but I barely had time to see Dotty at night much less try to keep up with the blog. Now that things are slower I plan to do a better job though!
This time of year is a time for reflection for many people and that includes us here at the Pecan Shed. We look back at what was great and what was not so great. This year there were a lot of great things that took place and as always just a few...we will call them "lessons learned"!
Our Homemade Fudge was a huge success again this year. We had all the great flavors like Chocolate Pecan, Turtle, Tiger, Butter Pecan, Maple Nut, Chocolate Mint and more but we also added holiday flavors such as Pumpkin Pie, Divinity, and Candy Cane fudge. All three were huge successes. (My favorite was the Candy Cane just because it was so pretty!)
All of our candied pecans flew off the shelf as well. In fact we ran out of Chocolate Covered Pecans...not just once...but TWICE!!! (That was a lesson learned moment...both times! We are slow learners sometimes.)
The Texas gifts and souvenirs as well as all the gourmet food items, cookbooks, and just about everything we did not have nailed down (and some things that we did) all flew off the shelves, especially the two weeks right before Christmas! We had so many blank spots in our store I was about to begin to fill them with drawings from Dotty and Presley but luckily we made it work with what little merchandise we had left.
This time of year, even though I am still exhausted, is when I really begin to look forward to the Dallas Gift Market. I love filling the store back up with new and unique items. This year I will be going to Market on the 16th so check back to see what awesome items we get in!
The biggest "LESSON LEARNED" is that Mother Nature is a crazy lady!!! Back in August and even in September we thought this was going to be a bumper crop. We thought the pecans would be big, huge, and great and there would be LOTS of them. Not so it turns out.
The crop was decent but not great. The pecans were darker and not filled out as well as in years past. Usually we get over 50% of good kernels out of a pound of all our pecans (some varieties even run closer to 60%) but this year due to quality concerns we had to shell out most of the crop and then discard a lot of bad ones.
We had more than enough for the Pecan Shed retail store but we had to turn down many new wholesale orders. That is a shame but it is the name of the game in agriculture. Feast or famine is always the case when it comes to Mother Nature. However, we are luckier than some. Some orchards lost their entire crop due to a late freeze back around Easter last year and some lost their crop due to the drought down south this summer. Thus, we count our blessings!
I hope you all had a great 2009 and will have a great 2010! Sorry this post was so long. I will try to make the others shorter (since I won't have 6 weeks of information to cover).
"Tomorrow is a gift...not a guarantee."
Jill
Thursday, November 19, 2009
More to Choose from...
The Pecan Shed now has all four of their great pecan varieties available to choose from!
The Pawnee pecan (which is the most popular pecan the Pecan Shed sells) is available in the shell, cracked, and shelled. This pecan is great for eating or baking. It is a large, oblong pecan with good oil content.
The Cheyenne pecan is a smaller pecan that is very bright in color. This pecan is very round and does not have as much oil as the Pawnee. Lots of people like to bake with this pecan because it makes pie fillings lighter in color. Some people even think the Cheyenne has a sweet taste to it! This pecan is available in the shell, cracked, and shelled.
The Choctaw pecan is the largest pecan the pecan shed sells and it is available in the shell, cracked and shelled. It is very light in color and cracks very well. If you are looking for a pecan that shells out easily this is the pecan you need. Also, due to its size, the Choctaw is a great roasting and toasting pecan.
The Wichita pecan is similar in size to the Pawnee and it is only available in the shell and cracked. It has the most oil of all four varieties. This pecan fills out so tight in the shell it does not shell out as well or as easy as the others. It is also a good pecan for roasting and toasting.
Stop by the Pecan Shed soon and sample these four great pecan flavors and decide for yourself which is your favorite!!!
The Pawnee pecan (which is the most popular pecan the Pecan Shed sells) is available in the shell, cracked, and shelled. This pecan is great for eating or baking. It is a large, oblong pecan with good oil content.
The Cheyenne pecan is a smaller pecan that is very bright in color. This pecan is very round and does not have as much oil as the Pawnee. Lots of people like to bake with this pecan because it makes pie fillings lighter in color. Some people even think the Cheyenne has a sweet taste to it! This pecan is available in the shell, cracked, and shelled.
The Choctaw pecan is the largest pecan the pecan shed sells and it is available in the shell, cracked and shelled. It is very light in color and cracks very well. If you are looking for a pecan that shells out easily this is the pecan you need. Also, due to its size, the Choctaw is a great roasting and toasting pecan.
The Wichita pecan is similar in size to the Pawnee and it is only available in the shell and cracked. It has the most oil of all four varieties. This pecan fills out so tight in the shell it does not shell out as well or as easy as the others. It is also a good pecan for roasting and toasting.
Stop by the Pecan Shed soon and sample these four great pecan flavors and decide for yourself which is your favorite!!!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Fudge Flavor of the Month for November is...
...Divinity Fudge! Yummy!!! This fudge is so good it will definitely put you in the holiday spirit. Also, due to its popularity, the Pecan Shed still has Pumpkin Pie Fudge available with or without nuts. For those of you who love pumpkin pie you are going to LOVE this fudge.
And for a limited time only the Pecan Shed has Birthday Cake Fudge in order to help us celebrate 28 years of being in business! Happy Birthday Pecan Shed!!! This fudge is so tasty you are going to want to find a reason to celebrate everyday!
And for a limited time only the Pecan Shed has Birthday Cake Fudge in order to help us celebrate 28 years of being in business! Happy Birthday Pecan Shed!!! This fudge is so tasty you are going to want to find a reason to celebrate everyday!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Nuts for a Cure...
The Pecan Shed staff, family and friends recently participated in a local Race for a Cure with the Susan G. Komen foundation. The event was a lot of fun and meant so much to all of us who have been touched by breast cancer. The morning of the walk could not have been nicer and too see the hundreds of early risers who got up to walk for a cure was very touching. Men, women, young, old, survivors, fighters, and all those who walked in remembrance of a loved one were wearing pink, laughing, smiling, and shedding a tear or two. What a great day!!!
The Pecan Shed had it's "We are Nuts about finding a Cure" t-shirts on and they were a big hit. Thanks to all who walked with the Pecan Shed or purchased a t-shirt from us and thanks to all who do so much in the fight against breast cancer.
Rock the Pink!
The Pecan Shed had it's "We are Nuts about finding a Cure" t-shirts on and they were a big hit. Thanks to all who walked with the Pecan Shed or purchased a t-shirt from us and thanks to all who do so much in the fight against breast cancer.
Rock the Pink!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fudge Flavor of the Month for October is...
...Pumpkin Pie! And if you like pumpkin pies like Grandma used to make...you are going to LOVE our Pumpkin Pie Fudge!!! We have it with pecans or without but both are delicious! Stop in today and try some...see you soon!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
New Crop Pecans Are Here!!!
The New 2009 Crop has just arrived at the Pecan Shed and they look fabulous!!! The Pawnee pecans are in and they are bigger and better than ever! These cool temperatures have caused the Pawnees to come off a little earlier than expected but it was a welcomed surprise. Thanks to rain at just the right time during the growing season these pecans have filled out nicely.
Please stop in today and get a sample of these truly Texas treats!
Please stop in today and get a sample of these truly Texas treats!
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