April is National Pecan Month and it is time to think outside the pie and grab a handful of pecans! Here are some fun facts about these healthy nuts:
- Pecan trees are native to North America and 80 percent of the world’s pecans are produced in the U.S.
- The name “pecan” is a Native American word that was used to describe nuts requiring a stone to crack.
- A pecan tree will mature in 12 years, and in ideal conditions they can live more than 200 years.
- The pecan pie was created by French settlers in New Orleans.
- The torch handles for the 1996 Olympic Games were made of Georgia pecan wood.
- Pecans are so popular in Texas that the pecan tree was adopted as its state tree in 1919. You should also know that “Butter Pecan” ice cream is a Texas invention.
- Pecans contain more antioxidants than any other nut variety.
- It takes about 78 pecans to make the average pecan pie.
- The city of Albany Georgia claims to have more than 600,000 pecan trees, and has earned the title as the Pecan Capitol of the U.S.
- Pecans can help reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels.
- Pecan trees only produce nuts every two years.
- A handful of pecans may improve your love life, because they contain nearly 10 percent of the recommended Daily Value for zinc.
- There are more than 1,000 varieties of pecans. Many of them are named for Native American Indian tribes, including Cheyenne, Mohawk, Sioux, Choctaw, and Shawnee.
- Pecan wood is often used to make furniture, paneling, and flooring.
