Storing Pecans

You can freeze pecans. They'll last a good long time. I have frozen them unshelled, too, but shelling them first makes a lot more sense.

Shell them first and put in freezer ziploc bags. They will keep for over a year! My mother always loved shelled pecans straight out of the freezer and now my oldest son does too. My parents owned a pecan business most of my life, so we know how to store nuts :-)

If you want to keep them in the shell, they'll be good for awhile as long as they're in a very dry, cool (very cool) place, but it's best to shell and freeze.

If you don't already have a place that does it, you may want to check around to see if there are any pecan wholesalers or warehouses near you. I know we did this and most places we know of charged a few cents a pound to crack the pecans in the industrial crackers, so you just have to pick out the pieces and halves. It cuts out a lot of work on your end for almost no money! Those crackers running is the background noise to a large chunk of my life!

You can freeze them.
You shell them first because leaving them in the shell is a waste of freezer space (unless you have a huge freezer).

I would shell them first, then freeze. What a lucky lady you are to have a pecan tree!! I'm sure then clean up is not fun tho!!!! Have you ever tried making candied pecans? They make a lovely christmas gift if you put them in a pretty glass jar and decorate it up. Here's the recipe if you are interested:

1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar

Melt this in a skillet. When melted, add in 3 Cups nuts. Cook on medium low until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Spread on wax paper, and when cool break apart. YUMMY!!! I also love to set these out on my table at Thanksgiving and Christmas to munch on.

Wow, you are lucky with this. I just saw small bags of pecans costing almost $6 at my local Wal-Mart!

Shell them first. My Granny had a couple of pecan trees in her yard and she and my Papo use to shell them, put them in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer. They will stay fresh for a very long time in the freezer. You can also make a little Christmas Snack Present for your friends with the unused ones if you don't have room to store them all. :-)

You can put them in the freezer whole, though you may prefer to shell them so they are ready to use later on.
I would freeze them though, since nuts tend to go rancid if they are stored at room temp.
If you are planning to use them soon you can also store them in a cool, dry place and they will last for a few weeks.

I would shell them and freeze them.

If allowed in your area - sell them per pound in your front yard! My cousin in Massachusetts sells his chickens eggs from his driveway - don't know if you can do that in Jacksonville - but don't let them go to waste!!

have fun!!

Shell then freeze. Shelling nuts is something that the whole family can do while watching a fun movie.....