National Pecan Month

National Pecan Month

Pecan Day is March 25^th in honor of the day George Washington planted pecan trees at his Mount Vernon Estate.  He received the trees as a gift from Thomas Jefferson and planted them on March 25, 1775.  National Pecan Month, which is in April, and National Pecan Day, which is celebrated on April 14^th, was started by the National Pecan Shellers Association.  National Pecan Day was first observed in 1996, which is also the year that the National Pecan Shellers Association declared April to be National Pecan Month.

Pecan trees are native to North America. Sometimes we may eat pecans as a snack and other times we may use them in recipes from entrees to desserts.  In celebration of Pecan Day, National Pecan Month and National Pecan Day, I thought it would be fun to learn more about pecans.  So, here are some interesting and fun facts involving pecans:

1. Pecans are tree nuts in the hickory family;
2. There are over 1,000 varieties of pecans;
3. Pecan trees can live for 300 years;
4. Pecan trees can grow over 150 feet tall and have trunks that measure over 3 feet in diameter;
5. 90% of pecans are grown in the United States;
6. The pecan tree is the state tree of Texas;
7. Georgia is the top grower of pecans;
8. Pecan trees only produce nuts every two years;
9. Pecans reduce your risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, and contain fiber, protein, and antioxidants; and
10. Astronauts took pecans on two Apollo missions for a snack.

Happy Pecan Day, Happy National Pecan Month and Happy National Pecan Day!