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Auburn, Aug. 17---Farmers are expecting a large crop of pecans this fall, says Dr. Bill Goff, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System horticulturist.

"Pecan trees tend to alternately bear, so if they have a big crop one year they’ll have a small crop the next year," he says. "It just so happened that the crop across the entire country was off last year, and the trees responded this year. Estimates of the 2001 crop have ranged from 306 to 329 million pounds, about 50% higher than last year's crop of 209,850,000."

Counties in central and north Alabama are set to have big crops this year. Mobile and Baldwin counties, Alabama’s leading pecan producers, had record crops of pecans last year, with Mobile County producing its largest crop since 1974.

Ken Buck, who has 43 acres of pecans growing in Mobile County, said he had a record crop last fall and expects to have an average one this time around.

The rest of the state should have huge harvests, however.

"Due to hurricanes in 1997 and 1998, Mobile and Baldwin counties have gotten off cycle with the rest of the U.S., including central and north Alabama," says Monte Nesbitt, a research horticulturist at the Gulf Coast Regional Research and Extension Center. "Those two counties had their big crops last year. This fall they should have light crops in most places and medium crops in some places."

Last year, Alabama produced about 15 million pecans. This year, Nesbitt says a harvest of about 14 million is expected. "We’re at a good average," he says. "We have a slight reduction because the state’s main pecan producers are off cycle, but overall we should have a good crop across the state."

Goff says this fall is a good time for pecan lovers to stock up on their favorite nuts.

"Prices are expected to be low," he says, "so this is a good year to buy more pecans. Buy extra, and save them for next year when there probably won’t be as many."

Pecans are harvested in October through December. Goff says the weeks between late August and mid-September are a critical time for watering the trees to make sure they produce quality pecans. The quality of this year’s large crop will depend on the amount of rainfall they receive during that time.

"Pecans fill out in early September, and there is a direct relationship between the quality of the pecan and the amount of water the tree received," says Goff. "If you have pecan trees in your yard, even if there’s a drought and water is short, you really need to water those trees. Even if you’re paying for it through a city water line, you need to water them at least 2 inches a week if it doesn’t rain that much."

Goff says pecans fall constantly during harvest time and must be picked up immediately so they don’t become stale and rancid.

"If you have pecans in your yard, you need to pick them up promptly and get them out of the weather," he says. "Lay them out in a single layer in a dry place. If they have too much moisture they’ll taste green and won’t store well until they’re dried down. If you put them in a refrigerator or in a bag while they’re still green and wet like that, they’ll turn rancid and dark and spoil. You can lay them out in a single layer on the floor of your garage or somewhere dry like that."

After the pecans are dried, they should be refrigerated or frozen, says Goff.

"Just don’t do that until they’re dry," he says. "If they’re dry, they’ll keep without losing much quality for a month or two at room temperature. If they are put in a refrigerator, they’ll keep for several months. If they’re put in a freezer, they’ll keep for several years."

When buying pecans, crack some of them to check their quality, says Goff. Avoid pecans with moldy, dark or rancid kernels. Nuts in their shell keep their quality longer than shelled nuts. Store pecan nutmeat in glass freezer jars, plastic cartons, reusable tin cans or odorless, grease-proof, moisture- and vapor-resistant plastic bags. Freeze shelled pecans in suitable containers, removing all air possible and closing tightly. Shelled pecans can be stored in suitable containers in the refrigerator for no longer than nine months; unshelled pecans can be stored in a cool place for about six months.

SOURCES: Dr. Bill Goff, (wgoff@aces.edu), Extension Horticulturist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 844-5480, and Monte Nesbitt, (mnesbitt@aces.edu), Research Horticulturist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 990-8417