Countin Down to Thanksgiving

Sandy Creek still has some water in it, the pastures are fighting to stay green and the pecan trees are trying to cooperate.

We are shaking all the trees that have open nuts. There are still many that are not open.

The weather man is predicting a frost around Thanksgiving day. So far, we have had foggy mornings the last two days due to our warmer day temperatures.

The Ruth Policy

Here are some nuts that are just begging to be harvested.

This tree is right next to the road. The pecans on it will drop off right next to the road and our fence.

We have decided on a “Ruth” policy.

( You remember Ruth in the Bible gleaning in the fields to get all the left over wheat) If the tree leans over the road, and if people come and glean off the road or on the side of the road, we hope they enjoy the pecans. Many people do not look at it that way, sure they are our pecans, but….

We are counting down the days until Thanksgiving. Thursday will be here before we know it.We are expecting family and friends. It has been our tradition to invite people that do not have family to spend the day with. The mix of people always lends itself to a great day with plenty of good things to eat and much conversation!

Baking Day!

Today is “bake some pecan pies” day. Our school sponsors two families for Thanksgiving, and I am baking some pies to take with the meal tomorrow.

Remember to add just that little touch to your pie. Use a cookie cutter and your left over pie dough to cut out a fun shape to put in the middle of the pie or on the side. Don’t forget to cover your crust and your decorations with tinfoil to avoid burning. Uncover them just before time to come out to get that nice toasted look.

Chocolate is great to add for that something different in your pecan pie.

Maple syrup instead of corn syrup also adds a different taste twist.

Here is an easy pecan pie recipe for you. It has the information on the chocolate version too. Enjoy. It is so easy!

EASY PECAN PIE

3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 c. light or dark corn syrup 1 c. sugar 2 tbsp. butter, melted 1 tsp. vanilla*not necessary if you use dark syrup* 1 1/2 c. Sandy Creek Pecans pecan halves or pieces 1 unbaked (9 inch) pie shell In large bowl stir first 5 ingredients until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell. Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool. Serves 8. CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE: Follow recipe for Easy Pecan Pie. Melt 4 squares (1 ounce each) semi-sweet chocolate with butter.

Remember to check our online store and website at

www.sandycreekpecans.com

and you can find us at Oklahoma Food Cooperative

http://www.oklahomafood.coop

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours,

Sandy Creek Pecans and the Garone Family

Oh, but for a frost….

We are shaking trees and getting pecans, but many are still warmly snuggled in their beds and won’t come out.

What we need is a frost. Of course, that is what the pecan side of us says. The cattleman says,”Hey, no frost means green grass for the cattle.” Okay, I guess that Mother Nature will have to referee this…. cold snap expected next week.

Our market has opened for the food cooperative. I wonder if the customers realize that many of the pecans that they buy are from cold storage. Ours are from our trees to their tables. No, we don’t sing to each tree, but they sure receive a lot of attention through out the year.  Right now the cattle are reluctantly giving up their time in the pecan orchards for pecan harvesting.

We’ll keep you posted on how our harvest goes. Meantime, I have been working on a new art technique for my classes ( I teach art in high school). It is called Zentangling, and I am trying to work pecans into the doodle. I’ll show you what I come up with.  Have a great week. Stay healthy and add some fun and color to your life. Happy November….Marigolds….sunshine….and blessings to you all.

Sandy Creek Pecans

Harvest Time!

Harvest & Website..It’s Time!

Here we go… the harvesting of our pecans has started. I can’t believe that we would ever say “thank goodness that it is not raining   anymore”, but we did- several times , and now we have the equipment out in the orchards and the nuts look great!

The pecan harvester sweeps the nuts up off the ground and stores them in a holding area until we dump them into a trailer to take to the nut crackers.

The life of a nut…in a nutshell ( pardon the pun!)

Nuts in the shell

Pecan halves

Pecan pieces

Here is our new website for Sandy Creek Pecans

http://www.sandycreekpecans.com

Come on over and check us out! Recipes, tips, and lots of great pecans

Awake, Thou Wintery Earth…

Awake, Thou Wintery Earth….

No, I don’t usually talk that way, but Thomas Blackburn has a stanza in “An Easter Hymn” that welcomes spring better than I
“Awake, thou wintry earth –
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!”

Spring has Arrived!

Yup, it is the first day of Spring and as much as I like winter ( and I do like winter…have you ever noticed how much you see during the wintertime? It is amazing what leaves hide. I notice all sorts of things along the road and in my neighbors’ yards that have been covered up by vegetation. Opps!)

We are charting our course for this next season, much as our trees are doing. I noticed today when I was out walking that some of the trees have already budded out while others are as modest as a girl on her first date

( my grandmother’s analogy). Our oak trees are standing stoic and are not just jumping into spring as quickly as our elm trees are. Ummm…. much like me- sometimes I can just hop right on a new idea and other times, I drag my feet and mumble all the way towards a new view.

Welcome Baby Calves

We have baby calves popping up all over the pasture. I did a great sneaking up job on this heifer to grab this picture. She wasn’t too sure who or what I was and within two shakes of her tail she was at mama’s side. Believe me, mama cows are a force to pay attention to, and I made sure I had a good stout fence in between us!

Spring’s Hat

The pasture is covered in flowers. Mother Nature sure wears a pretty hat during spring.

Local Foods

I am trying to drum up some interest in local foods. I am in hopes that our local fair board will allow some new local food categories in the fair. We also have a large dinner at the fair, and I would like to see it feature local foods. Our local Farmer’s Market was a bust this last summer. Perhaps, the 4-H seed project will help stimulate some young growers and create more interest in local produce.

Any ideas out there?

Enjoy…Enjoy

The days are beautiful…too pretty to spend indoors. I am reminded of a verse by Robert Browning

The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hillside’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven –
All’s right with the world!

Well, there you have it. I hope you read this with a cup of pecan flavored coffee and a sweet something to munch on.  Here is our recipe for those love cookies.

Pecan  Cookies

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pecan halves

Preparation:

Cream together brown sugar, margarine, and shortening; beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly; dip balls into egg white; roll in finely chopped pecans. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet; press pecan half deeply in center of each. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool thoroughly.

Makes 5 to 6 dozen  cookies.

Reading ‘neath the  Pecan Tree

What book is out under the tree being read from cover to cover while the reader is enjoying this spring weather?

Stonewall’s Gold, a novel of the Civil War by Robert J. Mrazek.

This book offers page after page of  exciting reading for teens to adults. It has it all: history, mystery, hidden treasure and a smidge of romance. Perfect reading for Civil War or War Between the States buffs. Here are the opening lines

Constable Kilduff has told mt to put the whole thing down in writing and that is exactly what I am doing to do. He said if I could offer enough evidence to prove it really happened the way I said it did then everything would come out alright in the end. He said he thought Judge Burwell would not go hard on a fifteen year old boy, even for the murders.

Are you hooked yet….St. Martin’s Paperbacks.

It gets a 10 nut score ( as any squirrel or blue jay can tell you …ten nuts are a really big deal!).

Happy March from the Sandy Creek Pecan gang!

History and Headstarts

Pecan History

• The name “pecan’ is an Algonquin word meaning “a tough nut to crack.”
• The history of pecans can be traced back to the 16th Century, originating in central and eastern north America and the river valleys of Mexico.
• George Washington and Thomas Jefferson planted pecan trees in the 1700s. Washington called them “Mississippi nuts.”
• Pecan trees range in height from 70 to 100 feet but sometimes grow to 150 feet or more. Native pecan trees – those over 150 years old – have trunks more than 3 feet in diameter.
• The pecan tree is a member of the hickory family.
• There are over 1,000 varieties of pecans, many named for Native American Indian tribes.

Headstart on Hope

Have you noticed how much we have to accept on faith? My husband and I were talking about that today in reference to life as illustrated by the pecans trees . Even though we cannot see the nuts, we have to have a confidence that if we do everything that we can in taking care of our trees, that the nuts will be there. And just think, we have to wait until the first drop of pistillate flowers, which is sometimes late spring to approximate our crop. That is a long time to hang in there on an idea, a hope, a faith of a crop to come.

Headstarts on my Conversations

The proverbial farmer coffee shop or the teachers’ workroom can be a covered pit of “dis- opportunity” ( I think I just made up a new word here)  to start confessing negativity in regards to almost an aspect of life– pecan production included. This last season, if I kept a tally it would have shown, at least once daily, someone asking me if we had any pecans this year. If I answered in the affirmative, they seemed “Whatever” because they didn’t have any, or some even acted like they didn’t believe me!

100,000

Well, this year, I am going to tell them we are working toward 100,000 pounds and see if that floats their boats. So, there’s my headstart on hope–my positive conversation. I get enough negativity from the world, I don’t need to contribute to my woes with my mouth. Enuff said. 🙂

Grab a headstart on a happy and hopeful week,

Nellie

P.S. Great article on sustainable pecan farming on the ATTRA website.

Hats Off to Oklahoma State University for the information

http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/aitc/lessons/extras/facts/pecans.html