Prose and Pecans
Years ago, I attempted to shell some pecans I gathered in my backyard. “The squirrels are doing it. Why not beat them to it?” I thought after stepping on another emptied shell. As an ice cream artist with a flair for the cottagecore, I couldn’t pass up the chance to brag that my ice cream was homemade and the pecans inside were foraged by hand. But hours later, I only had about three pecans worth eating—and ten jaundice-yellow fingers.
In hindsight, even the pecan’s etymology advised me to use a tool, as it originates from an Algonquian word meaning “a nut requiring a stone to crack.” I learned that from Becky Carroll, Senior Fruit and Pecan Specialist at Oklahoma State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, and more importantly, my aunt. Last May, I overheard her make a passing remark about an ongoing campaign to re-brand Oklahoma’s only native nut. “We’re trying to get people to think of pecans as an everyday snack, not just an ingredient in Thanksgiving and Christmas desserts,” Becky shared, which intrigued me as a copywriter in marketing at the time. I’d also never expected our careers to cross paths.
Typically, there are two species of pecan experts: those who study the field, and those who work in it with their bare hands. Becky is a rare combination of the two. She’s researched insect populations in pecan tree canopies while several months pregnant and collaborated on 70-plus academic articles that revolutionized the industry. She’s even given Zoom talks to Brazilian pecan growers. And I have a hunch that much of her success actually stems from her unconventional academic ascent.
In adulthood, Becky first joined OSU as a research technician and then “temporarily” filled a faculty role before accepting it in a long-term capacity seven years later — but before that, she worked on the research farm through many Oklahoma summers as a teen. This unique blend of book smarts and boots-on-the-ground experience allows her to flit between the classroom and orchard with ease. “When communicating with pecan growers, I have an advantage since I’m not a doctor or professor. I’ve been where they are, so I don’t try to go over their heads, and they appreciate that,” Becky says. And having a rapport with the local farmers creates opportunities to solve age-old problems.
Historically, inconsistent annual harvests hindered the growth of the pecan market. “Pecans are a mast crop, so they’ll have a huge harvest one year but not much the next,” Becky explains. “If you’re making Braum’s butter pecan ice cream but can’t get pecans, what do you do? You choose walnuts.” In 1993, Gordon Couch, a pecan grower who’d planted his Luther orchard in the 1960s, suspected that crop-load thinning, a peach-farming technique that reduces bloom count to standardize yearly yields, could address the same problem for pecans. OSU believed the idea had merit, so it launched a series of studies led by Dr. Mike Smith, a world-renowned researcher and top mentor to Becky. Couch’s instincts proved spot on, and the method continues to benefit both the growers of pecans and the industries that utilize them worldwide.
Their findings were especially important given the role pecans play in our local economy. Pecans are as native to Oklahoma as the red soil they grow in. Not only does the state rank either first or second for native pecan production and fourth or fifth for total production; we also host a pecan festival practically every weekend in autumn. And the community is as close-knit as it gets. “The pecan growers are my family. I’ve been to the weddings of kids who were 6 or 7 when their parents bought their orchard, and I’ve also attended funerals,” Becky says. She’s so invested in their success, it’s almost contagious. Perhaps this is why my Uncle Jimmy calls her a “pecan evangelist.” I’d demur if she weren’t the gal who once lectured my mom about the virtues of pecans in Walmart after catching her buying walnuts! And when mom touted nutrition as her reason for choosing the inferior nut, things escalated even further.
My poor mother wasn’t the first to get an earful from Becky, who also admitted to going toe to toe with more than one registered dietitian over the years. While pecans are arguably more nutritious than other nuts, far more studies have been conducted on walnuts and almonds, which are typically grown by large California corporations with deep pockets. That said, pecan growers just earned the right to display the American Heart Association logo on packaging, and more studies are underway. What we already know is that pecans are packed with heart-healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, as well as fiber, which supports the gut microbiota that interacts with mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin on top of aiding in digestion.
And then there’s the taste. Now that I’ve had fresh native pecans, I can confirm our beloved pecan evangelist wasn’t overselling them. The high oil content produces a rich, buttery flavor and soft, almost creamy texture that I’m obsessed with. In fact, I just incorporated some into an ice cream flavor — and no, I didn’t forage for these pecans, but maybe I will one day. I have a great connection, after all.
> Find fresh, Oklahoma-grown pecans with the map at okpecangrowers.com or pick them up at your closest Urban Agrarian location.
