Pecan Store September 3rd, 2010

Labor Day weekend is here, and with it comes barbeques, swimming and celebrating the symbolic end of summer. Did you know the first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in NYC and became a federal holiday 14 years later after a number of workers were killed at the hands of the US Military and the US Marshals following the Pullman Strike? Then President Cleveland was anxious to reconcile with the labor movement and fearing further conflict, Congress unanimously passed legislation making Labor Day a national holiday just six days after the Pullman Strike ended. And while most Americans recognize Labor Day as a chance to relax and party, remembering the historical roots of the holiday are important.

So whether you celebrate Labor Day in a low key or fun-filled manner, don’t forget the Pecan Store offers a variety of different bbq sauces, rubs and even pecan shell charcoal briquettes. We have all you need to help make your Labor Day memorable!

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Pecan Store August 17th, 2010

We get this question at the Pecan Store all the time: what’s pecan meal?  Pecan meal is simply finely ground pecan pieces. During the pecan shelling process, we separate the desirable pecan halves from the large, medium, small and midget pieces. Each of these items is boxed separately and then sold to customers all over the world. Naturally, we had leftover pecan bits and pieces that couldn’t be used for much…that is, until it occurred to someone that all those tiny pecan pieces were similar to the look and texture of flour, and pecan meal was born!

Pecan meal is the perfect substitute for flour in baking, or bread crumbs in cooking. And because pecans are gluten free, they make the perfect addition to a gluten free diet. I’ve included my two favorite pecan meal recipes below. If you have a favorite recipe that incorporates pecan meal, let us know in the comments. We would love to read them!

Liana’s Pecan Breaded Pork Chops

Serves 4

Cook time: Approximately 45 minutes

Ingredients

4 lean pork loin cuts

Dijon mustard

1 cup Pecan Meal

2 tablespoons pecan oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Place the pecan meal in a shallow bowl or pie plate, and the mustard in a second shallow bowl. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper to taste, and then coat them in the dijon mustard. Next take the chops and coat them in the pecan meal.

3. Heat 2 tablespoon pecan oil in a non-stick skillet. Place the chops in the pan and cook approximately 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

4. Place pork chops on foil wrapped baking sheet and bake in oven approximately 30 minutes or until center reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F.

Butter Shortbread

Courtesy of Sunset Magazine

Ingredients

1  cups  flour

1 cup Pecan Meal

1  cup  cold unsalted butter, cubed

1/2  cup  granulated sugar

1/4  teaspoon  salt

2  tablespoons  coarse sugar (sometimes called sparkling sugar)*

Directions

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Pecan Store August 5th, 2010

Are the dates November 20th and 21st reserved in your calendar yet?  If not, I hope you have a good excuse because they’re only the dates for the nuttiest (pun intended) festival in Arizona! The 2010 Sahuarita Pecan Festival will be held November 20th and 21st at the Farm in Sahuarita, and will be bigger and better than ever! The food area has been expanded, and there will be more to enjoy in the Kid’s Corral and more vendor booths to peruse for those in search of that perfect Holiday gift. Music will be provided by some outstanding local bands, including the highly entertaining Retro Rockets! Plus, after a successful community wide vote, we have narrowed down the three charities to benefit from the Festival: the Green Valley/Sahuarita Community Food Bank, the Friends of Madera Canyon and the Animal League of Green Valley. And if all of these exciting details were not enough, Don Julio will be celebrating his one year anniversary as the Pecan Store mascot that same weekend. Viva la Don Julio!

Don Julio showcasing his favorite snack

As you can see, I’m quite excited for the Festival and I hope you consider joining me for the fun!

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Pecan Store August 4th, 2010

The Pecan Store was thrilled to find themselves the topic of a local blog’s feature about sights and points of interest in Arizona. A blogger from Tucson Daily Happenings visited the Pecan Store on Monday August 2^nd and wrote about his experience the following day. As the blogger points out, the Green Valley Pecan Company (our sister subsidiary) is home to 101,000 trees on close to 7000 acres in the Santa Cruz River Valley of Southern Arizona. Our sandy, loam soil, fresh water, hot days and cool nights make the perfect environment for growing pecans. If you’re in Sahuarita make sure you stop by the Pecan Store and sample just how good our pecans are!

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Pecan Store July 16th, 2010

Did you know the Pecan Store has a mascot?  Well he’s not really a mascot; he’s more of a suave, pecan shelling Casanova who represents the Pecan Store to the masses. The women love his cute little face, children want to be like him and men want to be his friend. He had his official coming out party at the Inaugural Sahuarita Pecan Festival in December 2009 and he is a constant presence at the Store. Meet Don Julio.  He wanted to share some pictures of his shenanigans and we’ll make sure to post more in the future.

Celebrating a successful holiday season!

Working the holiday telephone orders.

He's not afraid to get his hands...or tail dirty.

With some of the Pecan Store staff.

Charming some lovely Red Hats.

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Pecan Store July 14th, 2010

Call it a Christmas in July gift, but whatever you choose to call it make sure you take advantage of it. The Pecan Store is offering 15% off all summer selection tins. If it comes in a tin and doesn’t melt, we’ll ship it to you for 15% off. To take advantage, use promotional code SUMMERTIN at pecanstore.com. If I were allowed to take advantage of the promotion, I would select the D307 Summer gift tin; its combination of pretty packaging and tasty pecans are sure to be a hit! So while you can’t indulge in our delicious Camelbacks and English Toffee until the fall, you can enjoy our Butter Toffee, Praline and Roasted & Salted Pecans to your heart’s content!

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Pecan Store June 17th, 2010

I don’t know about you, but during the Arizona summer I try not to leave my house during the day if I can control it. It’s just too hot! We at the Pecan Store understand this, so until June 3oth PecanStore.com customers can receive half off standard shipping by using promotion code SUMMERHT. Now you can satisfy your praline or honey toasted pecan addiction all without leaving your house! So don’t delay; place your PecanStore.com order today!

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Pecan Store June 11th, 2010

Did you know The Pecan Store sells organic pecans?  Well we do! The Green Valley Pecan Company has the largest organic pecan farm in the country, with over 900 acres certified organic by Oregon Tilth. One pound pecan halves and pieces are available in the store and online (though not always at the same time), and you can’t beat their buttery, nutty taste. Plus, scientific research at Loma Linda University shows the addition of pecans to the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Step 1 diet lowered LDL (bad cholesterol) levels more than twice as much as the AHA Step 1 diet alone. That’s because pecans contain 25% more cholesterol-lowering oleic acid than a tablespoon of olive oil.

Here’s an interesting fact: it takes three years to transition an acre of pecan trees from conventional farming practices to organic. Therefore the farm uses careful planning to insure the pecans we grow in our organic farms are of the most superior quality. So if you prescribe to an organic diet, order your organic pecans today!

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Pecan Store June 8th, 2010

I just spent a week in Mexico, soaking up the sun and enjoying the beautiful blue waters. Before I left on vacation, I spent three days in Chicago at the 2010 Sweets and Snacks Expo and I had a blast. Imagine Willy Wonka’s Factory, and aside from the river and waterfall of chocolate, the scene was fairly similar. I managed to keep my head about me and didn’t overindulge, but I did learn a great deal about what’s hot in the sweets and snacks industry and what items would make a great addition to the Pecan Store lineup.  Here is a brief rundown of the best items I saw at the show:

• Sahale Snacks sell creative nut combinations that you don’t have to feel guilty about consuming. My favorite, Valdosta Pecans, include black peppered pecans, sweet cranberries and orange zest, are addicting. Also, the Barbequed Almonds and Tuscan Almonds are incredibly flavorful! And another things to be excited about is they have just recently introduced a new line of biscotti, with one variety being Cranberry Pecan!
• Bora Bora has a great new line of organic snack bars that are certified organic by the USDA and are Kosher and gluten free. Their Pomegranate, Pecans and Cherries bars sustained me throughout my travels and airport delays.
• Chocolate covered sunflower seeds; don’t they sound grand? Sunflower Food Company has a great line of these tasty snacks in different colors and flavors, plus their packaging is completely eye catching. Look for these soon at the Pecan Store.
• Nutella! I know that Nutella contains hazelnuts and not pecans, but I think the pecan gods will forgive me for being in love with this amazingly delicious spread! Plus, if you smear whole wheat crackers with Nutella and top them with some pecan pieces, it makes a convenient, tasty snack.

I hope this quick insight gave you a clear picture of the wonders and delights of the Sweets & Snacks Expo. I had a great time and I’m looking forward to finding another golden ticket to the show next year!

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Pecan Store May 21st, 2010

TGIF!  I hope you all have great weekend plans to look forward to. My weekend will be full of errand running, but I have every intention of allowing myself some downtime. Since the days have become hot, I have made it a point to wake up early on Saturday mornings to enjoy the cooler temperatures.  I am a big coffee fan; seriously, I think about my first cup as soon as I wake up. I’ve become a big fan of the Butter Pecan Arbuckles’ coffee that the Pecan Store sells, so I usually make it a part of my morning routine.  My early mornings on the patio consist of my laptop so I can read the news, a steaming cup of hot java and an easy breakfast. Sometimes I have a wheat bagel, sometimes I have cereal. But lately I have been enjoying the new Buttermilk Scones the Pecan Store has just debuted. They are from the Adobe Ross Inn, located in Tucson, and the scones are divine! The mix is simple as all it requires is six tablespoons of cold butter and warm water. If you baked the scones as is, you’re only consuming 99 calories a serving! However, the great thing about the mix is that it comes with ideas of other items you can add to take your scones over the top! My favorite combination is blueberries and pecans; it’s amazing! Plus, you can pair the scones with a tasty Raspberry Pecan or Blackberry Pecan preserve from the Pecan Store or spread on some Pecan Honey Butter for an extra hint of sweetness. Now doesn’t that sound like the perfect way to welcome the day?

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