Fudge Flavor of the Month for October is...

...Pumpkin Pie Fudge!

With or without pecans...

This flavor was so popular last year we decided to bring it back! If you had this fudge last fall you know how GOOD it is. If you did not get a chance to try it then you need to come in for a taste.

We will have it available now through the holiday season so don't delay. Before you know it Christmas will be over and you will have to wait almost a whole year to have it again!

Cooler Temperatures...

The chill in the air always puts me in a good mood.

I love the Fall.

I love pumpkins, football, warm jackets, planting mums, scarecrows, the color orange, seeing the leaves change...

I love seeing my breath on a cold morning and being able to play with my little girl at 3pm without dying of heat.

I also love that cooler weather means pecans are on their way!

The countdown continues...New Crop Pecans will be here soon!

Rainy Days...

I always love rainy days. Mostly I love sleeping through them but if I do have to work I still love them.

Being a "pecan farmer's daughter" I never complain about rain. Even during the summer of 2007 when so much of Clay, Wichita, and surrounding counties were being flooded I did not complain about the rain. (This is mainly due to the fact that I was very pregnant so I would much rather have the rain than the heat.)

However, I do realize that rain is not always good for a pecan crop. Too much rain can cause problems. There are things like weevils and scab that tend to go along with rain that can really damage a pecan crop in a hurry.

A lot of rain also means that we can't run equipment. We don't want to get harvesters, tractors, etc. stuck in the orchard or cause ruts and so forth.

So today as the rain came down, I was reminded how much I love rain but also what it means to pecans. If we get too much rain in the next few days our harvest will be pushed back which means a delay in getting new crop pecans in the store. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

While I will never tell the rain to "go away". I definitely might ask for it to "come again another day"...like say December and June, July, and August.

Wichita Falls CVB

Dee VanWinkle with the Wichita Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.wichitafalls.org) is always so nice to send groups to the Pecan Shed. These groups are in Wichita Falls for various events (most of them taking place at the MPEC). With the help of Dee and others at the Wichita Falls CVB these visitors get to load up on buses or trolleys to take a tour of Wichita Falls and see some great local stores.

The Pecan Shed is honored to be on of the stops that the groups make. We are able to offer them Texas and Wichita Falls specific souvenirs, gourmet food items, our delicious Homemade Fudge, and the BEST pecans in Texas.

Each group is unique but we enjoy having them all come to our store to visit. Yesterday we had around 25 or so ladies in and today we are expecting around 50 guests!

A BIG thank you to Dee and the Wichita Falls CVB for promoting the Wichita Falls area and local businesses like the Pecan Shed!

Almost Harvest Time

When the pecans start to crack open their outer hull like the ones in this picture have it is a sure sign that "harvest time" is soon approaching.

I took this picture of our Pawnee pecans just today so it is in "real time" so to speak.

Pawnee pecans are the first to open up and thus are the first to be harvested.

If all goes well we should have pecans in the store and available to our customers by October 11th or at the very latest October 18th.

Other varieties that will be ready to harvest later include the Wichita, Choctaw, and Cheyenne pecans.

2009 Pawnee Pecans

The 2009 crop of Pawnee pecans is dwindling fast. We just sold our last two bulk cases today. Thus, all we have left is what we have bagged up in either the one-pound or the four-pound bags.

Not to fear though. New Crop Pawnee pecans should be arriving no later than October 18th.

The Pawnee pecan is our most popular seller at the Pecan Shed. This pecan is considered a "junior mammoth", has golden coloring, and is good for both baking or snacking.

We also still have the 2009 Wichita pecans that are similar in size to the Pawnee and have more oil.

Weevil Watch

In this family pecan business I know the role I play. My job is to sell pecans to customers both local and (at times) world wide. I am to create a store and a marketing plan that helps to promote the Pecan Shed...who we are, what we do, and how great we do it. My main objective (along with the help of Mom and all my employees) is to sell as many pecans as possible and I really do love what I do.

Jake's job is to make sure I have pecans to sell. He and Dad take care of the pecan orchards. They worry about spraying schedules, irrigation, weather patterns, crop forecasts, etc.

I have a business degree from Midwestern State University. Jake has a horticulture degree from Tarleton State University. (Mom and Dad have an "experience" degree from The School of Life.)

I have a limited amount of knowledge as to what actually happens in order to get the pecans from the tree to my store. I just know what to do with them once I get them.

So today when I called Dad to ask what he was up to he said they were spraying the orchards for pecan weevils.

I asked why when we were so close to harvest. He said that a bad case of weevils at this point could wipe out our entire pecan crop. I am smart enough to know that would be a bad thing.

I thought weevils were a problem early on. I didn't know they could be bad right now. Dad informed me that pecan weevils come out when the ground gets damp and this allows the weevil to climb up out of the ground and then infest the pecan trees.

Who knew?!

I pointed out that we had not had rain in the last few days but according to Dad since it rained last week we were still spraying in order to keep those "bad bugs" at bay.

Note: Mom will tell you that she knew we were spraying for weevils based on our chemical bills. Another reason why pecans can seem expensive at times and why we never claim our pecans are organic.

So for those of you out there with a pecan tree, or two, or two thousand you might want to be on a weevil watch. The good news is you still have time to put out some preventative spray if you don't see any. The bad news is if you DO see one or two you might have already lost the battle before you knew there was a fight.