Every pecan pie uses 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb of pecans. It takes about 310 pecans halves to fill a one-pound bag. So there are about 78 pecans used in every pecan pie!
Pecans are native tree nuts to the United States and North America. Before European settlers arrived, Native Americans widely consumed and traded pecans.
Georgia leads the nation in pecan production. Georgia has been the top pecan producing state in the nation since the late 1800s.
Pecans are one of the largest fruit-bearing trees. One irrigated, managed acre of pecan trees will produce about 1,000 pounds of pecans.
More than 500 varieties of pecans exist today. Over 1,000 cultivars have been released over the history of pecan culture. Only three are common and all three are available Georgia orchards.
America’s President, food connoisseur and gardener, Thomas Jefferson, was very taken by the flavor of pecans and had trees imported from Louisiana for his Monticello orchards.
Pecan Trees Georgia
In 1995, Georgia pecan wood was selected by the Atlanta Committee to make the handles of the torches for the 1996 Olympic Games. The torches were carried in the 15,000-mile U.S.A. relay and in the lighting of the Olympic flame in Atlanta on July 19, 1996.