Toasting or otherwise preparing nuts

[Darienne]

9 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

I agree about cracking nuts. When I was a child, our neighbour had a huge walnut tree and our family always got a 50, yes, 50 gallon drum of walnuts from them. I have cracked my last nut! I can get a  900 gram bag of pecan halves at Costco for about 16.00 Cdn. They are always fresh when I buy them and I keep them in the freezer. I always toast/roast them before using and I'm always happy with the end result.

My memories of pecans are the ones a friend sent me from Georgia which were extraordinary and the ones we bought in New Mexico which were the same.  I guess by the time the pecans get to Canada they are less than perfect...or maybe we just don't get the best ones sent up here...sort of like how the very best olive oil apparently never leaves Italy and Greece. 

 

Not quite so wonderful in taste and texture, but so wonderful in terms of experience, were the pecans we picked off the tree outside our favorite second-hand store in Moab, Wabi Sabi.  

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, Darienne said:

My memories of pecans are the ones a friend sent me from Georgia which were extraordinary and the ones we bought in New Mexico which were the same.

 

Thanks for the reminder on Georgia pecans.  A few years ago, a friend gave me a few pounds that her MIL sent from Georgia and they were just stellar.  Very plump, about twice the size of the skinny-ish ones I end up getting in local stores, and flavorful, too.  Just tracked them down and ordered some more! 

[Smithy]

Texas pecans are a special treat I stock up on when we're in the Hill Country. Expensive, but well worth it and good gifts. I'll be making a pecan pie or two this holiday season!

[AlaMoi]

there are a number of pecan types - they do differ!

I like the papershell variety - they are thin enough to crack in your palm (two pecans squeezed against each other....)

went looking for the list - this is a decent write up:

https://thepecannation.com/blog/different-types-of-pecans/