pecan cracker

[Hippie Rancher]

finally getting back to this thread with some pictures! a couple of last fall's nuts and the round kind's catkins and leaves right now (blooming really late this year, strange)

 

[jschoolcraft86]

the kernels from the round ones look nice. those leaves are interesting too, they look longer and thinner than what i have. any idea what variety that is? My guess on the round ones is GraZona

 

[Rafter S]

Get you one like this. It was my father's. I don't know where he got it, but I suspect he inherited it too. He spent many winter evenings sitting on a chair in the pump house with this thing clamped to a table, cracking pecans one by one and letting the shells fly. When he got a bowl full he'd come in the house and pick them out while he watched TV.

 

[Rafter S]

I have one papershell that makes giant nuts. Love shelling them, I can get the meat out whole and they are beautiful. We planted it 30 years ago so I don't remember what variety it is.. but I believe it was an indian named one..

Choctaw maybe? I think that variety was pretty common back then.

 

[ccr]

We have a few varieties and Choctaw is the biggest nut and easy to shell and sure enough tasty, but has weak limb structure.

RS we have that exact same Perfection Nut Cracker as in your photo. It works great.

 

[jschoolcraft86]

Choctaw sounds right to me. They're my aunt's favorite because of flavor but I'm starting to dislike them because of the limb structure you mentioned. I had a big choctaw crop last year but I had over 100 limbs break, had to reevaluate my pruning. I had to go and clean up each break individually so not only did I lose pecans when they broke, I also spent a lot of time repairing the damage. I don't see myself planting anymore choctaws.

I intent to plant another 10 acres starting this winter, gonna do mainly Desireable with some Kanza mixed in.