Nut Shakers and Movers

           Now is the time for the tree climbing nut shakers and movers to step forward and help feed this hungry planet. It’s a time to be green or be gone. Crank up the nerve, you tree climbing heroes, and climb upwards to rain down the fruits of the tree before the marauding rodents get there first.

           It takes a strong body and a nimble mind to manually shake down a feast of pecan nuts. Jenny Meadows, my blog editor extraordinaire, used to do the deed while her family waited below with bags a-ready. She was the only one that had the tree climbing skills, even if they did not involve ropes, saddles, and such.  She would climb the tree and shake a branch vigorously with her feet while she held on with her arms. Not only is this an example of tree climbing prowess but also a knowledge of timing.

 

Nuts don’t fall any old time. The green ones you see on the ground were cut by grey squirrels during the day and flying squirrels in the dark. There is a certain time when they drop the easiest but you have to get to them before the rodents haul them off to be consumed or buried in a cache.

 

There are some modern improvements in pecan harvesting. Now they have mechanical tree shakers. They literally shake the tree to bring the nuts down. This technique works best on smaller orchard-grown trees.

 

I used to do the heroic “guy on rope” technique and go up while suspended by my tree climbing gear. I would haul up my pole saw and shake the branches if I couldn’t reach them, while my man below moved the “catch sheet” on the ground. I only worked select trees that had heavy crops of large nuts. They were growing near residences and the owners were happy to get the “tree trash” hauled off. A falling pecan makes a heck of a racket when it hits a roof. They also ding automobile bodies if the nuts are of large size.

 

What do you do with all of those nuts? I gave some of them away. They were certainly appreciated gifts to the connoisseurs of fine nut meats. My crew ate a lot of them. Not only did it give them good nutrition but it gave their busy hands something to do. But mostly I ate them myself.

 

Pecan nuts are naturally wholesome foods. They have good protein and large amounts of oils which are great for energy. They seem to stick to the ribs when consumed. It’s the kind of food that tree climbers long for and are proud to crack and shuck in public.

          

Comments

[moss]

I eat pecans every day even though they're a little bit expensive. They taste great in hot and cold cereals or salads and cooked savory dishes. I'm jealous that we don't have pecan trees in the northeast. Pignut Hickory nuts are delicious but are serious work to open and there's a very small nut inside.
-moss

[Roberta Beach Jacobson]

Love those nuts. We have almonds - lots of work though.

[Treeman]

Almonds eh? I don't know much about almond trees. Tell me more about how large the trees are and how you harvest them. Surely you don't climb up and shake the tree manually. I can't imagine you throwing a stick in the tree either.