My father loved pecans
And pecan trees
And my mother’s pecan pie.
I remember in college
Coming home for Thanksgiving
Going to the creek to pick up pecans.
There was always a bowl
To crack and pick
As we sat by the fire
In the winter.
Pecans even found their way
Into campaign brochures.
Daddy planted a pecan grove
Rather late in life
We celebrated that fact
On his 85th birthday
With family
And former staff members.
Now if you don’t know
You don’t just plant a pecan tree
And reap the harvest.
It takes at least 7 years
To produce.
So daddy must have known
That he would not live to see
The trees grow to maturity.
That someone would have to take up the mantle
And love it like he did.
And he did love it.
He loved, nurtured and respected
The land
And the life of a farmer.
But passing that to the next generation
Can be tricky…at best.
Thankfully, when the farms were divided
Among the three of us
My little sister Ann
Got the pecan grove.
She has worked hard over the last nine year
To improve the pecan grove
To prune, mow and fertilize it.
Like daddy she has loved, nurtured and respected
The land.
She has gotten a good crop
About every other year.
Then came the rains last spring.
I mean RAIN.
Over 30 inches in a month.
Resulting in a bumper crop.
Over 7,000 pounds of pecans!
She’s been harvesting and processing pecans
Continuously for over a month.
This week she’s coming to town to spread the love around.
Friends have pre-ordered hundreds of pounds
Of pecans
That will be turned into all kinds of treats
Over the holidays
And beyond.
Daddy & Mother would love what she has done.
And so do I.
Gail
PS
When Daddy was in office pecans were the standard gift for visiting dignitaries and Mother’s pecan pie was served at more dinners than I can count. She would make a dozen or so at a time. She was amazing.
This recipe was first printed in “Recipes from the Campaign Trail” . A little campaign brochure with recipes from Mother’s kitchen and Daddy’s “recipe for good government”. My how campaigns have changed over the years!
SHIRLEY BELLMON’S PECAN PIE
3 Eggs 1 C. white corn syrup 1C. brown sugar 1 C pecans
1 unbaked pie shell
Beat eggs. Add corn syrup and brown sugar to eggs and mix well. Add this mixture to the pie shell. Sprinkle pecans on top. Bake at 350 for one hour.
In My Garden 