Unlike those who live up north or bushy-tailed squirrels who are busy hoarding their wintertime spoils, Dave Ferguson, a fifth-generation Texas pecan grower, never has to worry about stocking up on this truly southern nut. ”My great-grandfather was trading pecans on the Mississippi river in 1890,” says Ferguson, a 33-year-old former commodities futures broker, speaking about his orchard`s founder, Robert Crawford, a colonel in the Confederate army. Initially, the Crawford family sold only small ”native”
pecans as a sideline. But in 1926, the family began commercial sales of the larger ”improved,” or cultivated, pecan varieties.
Presently, Ferguson cultivates the Western Slye, Desirable, Stewart, Hugo H. Crawford (named for an ancestor) and more than two dozen other improved varieties. Aided by his brother Alan and several other family members, Ferguson maintains the 88-acre family pecan farm in Forest Chapel, a tiny town of about 200 families in the gently rolling hills of East Texas.
Situated 2 1/2 hours northeast of Dallas, Ferguson`s Red River flood-plain property is about 10 miles west of the Wholly Cow Motor Home Court, and about 15 miles north of the seemingly endless acres occupied by the Bar A Brahman Beef Ranch. The unirrigated orchard that once was a cotton field lies at the ending of a winding, 1-mile red dirt road. As Ferguson`s pecan-colored business card proclaims, R.H. Crawford Pecans has been in business selling fine Texas pecans since 1926.
Dave`s mother, Bobbie Sue Crawford, is one of two Crawford daughters who prefer pantries to pecans.
”The two daughters didn`t care for hoin` around pecan trees and poison ivy,” says the mustachioed Ferguson. While Bobbie Sue Crawford bakes a wonderfully moist and flavorful lemon-flavored pecan pound cake, it is Dave and Alan Ferguson who propogate, cultivate, spray, harvest and market the yearly crop-a job that includes controlling the burrowing Texas armadillos that sometimes invade the orchards.
One of the few wholly American foods, carya Illinoensis, or Illinois hickory, the scientific name for the pecan tree, is indigenous to the Mississippi valley, growing in more than 100 varieties. It probably got its name because it was first encountered in Illinois by French missionaries journeying southward.
Long before that however, pre-Columbian Indians were known to have pressed pecan oil, thickened meat stews with ground pecans and used the high- calorie nuts as emergency rations for lengthy forays into the forest.
While they tolerate the cool East Texas winters, Ferguson`s 1,000 pecan trees thrive on the area`s many hot days and warm nights. In an average year his trees will produce from 50,000 to 60,000 pounds of in-shell pecans, yielding about half that weight in edible nutmeats.
”We suffered a two-thirds loss of our crop due to the freeze this year. We were already flowering when that thing hit,” says Ferguson, referring to an unexpected and highly unusual early-April freeze that damaged many other Texas crops.
”We were looking at an 80,000-pound crop this year. Now I`ll be lucky to have 30,000 pounds. But I`m optimistic for next year,” he says.
Because the pecan tree`s limbs break under the stress of mature pecans, Ferguson does not like an unsually large crop. ”What you want is a pecan orchard that produces a consistent crop,” he says.
From the bullet-shaped ”natives” to the long, slender-podded improved varieties, the immature pecans, enclosed in their shell, are encapsulated in a thick, green pod embossed with 4 or 5 thin ribs. As the nuts mature, their water content decreases, and the pod splits.
”As soon as that husk breaks open on 90 percent of the nuts (of a given variety), we`ll go in and pick all the nuts of that variety,” says Ferguson, adding that each variety differs in both flavor and color.
”Only your taste buds will make the decision,” he comments, acknowledging that he prefers the delicately flavored Mahan, a late-maturing variety.
Some of Ferguson`s pecans begin to mature in early October. ”By November 1st we`re rockin`. We`re working from when the dew dries in the morning until the sun sets at night. We want them there by Thanksgiving and Christmas,”
says Ferguson, who sells some of his pecans at Dallas` outdoor farmers`
market.
To shake loose mature pecans, the Fergusons use a large machine called a Gould Schock Wave, an expensive piece of equipment with a retractable tubular arm with two rubber-padded ”lips.” The ”lips” grasp, then shake the tree trunk, causing every leaf and tree branch to vibrate. Then, Ferguson`s bright orange pecan harvester equipped with a rotating barrel, ridged, rubber
”fingers” and a hopper that holds up to 400 pounds of pecans, picks up the nuts.
”We can fill the hopper up on one tree,” says Alan Ferguson. Formerly, the Fergusons employed 30 to 40 people to harvest their winter pecans, but since have cut back on personnel. ”Our machines don`t mind the cold,” says Ferguson. ”I like to get the nuts as close to the color of a yellow legal pad as I can. In general, the lighter your nuts are, the more flavorful. If the nut is as dark as the shell it was in, it`s been in storage,” says Ferguson. Because ”you can`t taste what`s in a sealed cellophane bag,” Ferguson always encourages his customers to try pecans before they buy.
Most of Ferguson`s pecan trees become commercially successful in 11 years. In 20 years, a mature tree generally will produce a crop of 50 to 60 pounds. A 150-year-old tree, 80 to 100 feet tall, produces from 80 to 100 pounds of pecans. Some trees live to be 300 or 400 years old.
”If it (the tree) doesn`t get hit by lightning, it will be there a long time,” quips Ferguson.
Appearing in almost every menu category, plentiful Texas pecans long have been part of traditional Texas cooking. These recipes for cake and ice cream come from the Crawford/Ferguson family files:
PECAN TUBE CAKE
One 9-inch tube cake
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 75 minutes
4 cups coarsely broken pecan meats
1 box (15 ounces) golden raisins
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups (1 pound) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 ounces lemon extract
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toss together the nuts and raisins with a handful of flour. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift or stir together the remaining flour and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Generously grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tube pan. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar, creaming 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. One at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, add the eggs. Add the lemon extract. Slowly fold in flour. Fold in floured raisins and pecans.
3. Pour mixture into prepared tube pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let stand in pan 10 minutes. Complete cooling on a cake rack.
This recipe comes from David Ferguson`s wife, Robin, a pharmacist who used to prepare this very rich ice cream for patients a Mesquite, Tex., hospital. ”They would stand on line with their spoons and bowls,” says Robin Ferguson.
ROBIN`S BUTTERED PECAN ICE CREAM
About 3 quarts
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Freezing time: Varies
2 cups chopped pecans
2 sticks unsalted butter (do not substitute margarine)
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 cups milk
5 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. In a medium-sized heavy bottomed pan, gently saute pecans in butter. Remove from heat and let cool while making ice-cream mixture.
2. In a very large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is well blended. Stir in the milk, cream, vanilla and salt. Transfer mixture to the container of an ice-cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer`s directions.
3. About 5 minutes before ice cream is done, blend in cooled sauteed pecans.
BLACK CHERRY PECAN SALAD
Four servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: Several hours
1 package (3 ounces) orange-flavored gelatin
1 can (16 ounces) pitted Bing cherries
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1. Place gelatin in a large bowl. Drain the juice from the cherries into a large measuring cup. Reserve cherries. Add lemon juice and enough water to make 1 3/4 cup liquid in cup.
2. Pour liquid into small saucepan. Heat until boiling. Pour over gelatin and stir until granules dissolve. Pour into a 8-inch square glass dish. Chill. When semi-set fold in reserved cherries and nuts.
At Dakota`s restaurant in Dallas, 29-year-old chef Jim Severson ”likes to take flavors that go well together and put them in different vehicles.”
His deep-fried apple-pecan chimichanga is a fruit and nut-filled variation of the more traditional Mexican beef and bean-filled chimichanga.
Although he grew up in Michigan, Severson says that when he and his family drove to Florida for vacations, he always stopped in Georgia and bought a 25-pound bag of pecans. Severson also serves his pecan butter with simply sauteed fish dishes.
JIM SEVERSON`S APPLE AND PECAN CHIMICHANGA FILLING
Ten 8-inch chimichangas
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Deep-frying time: 10 minutes
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup apple juice
2 teapsoons cornstarch
Water
1/2 cup dark or golden raisins
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered nutmeg
Ten 8-inch flour tortillas
Hot vegetable oil for deep frying
10 generous scoops vanilla ice cream
10 ounces grated Cheddar cheese
10 large strawberries for garnish
10 sprigs fresh mint, for garnish
1. In a medium-sized heavy bottomed pan, simmer apples with apple juice for 5 minutes. In a small dish, moisten cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water. Add to apple mixture. Mix in raisins, coconut, pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg and remove from heat. Let cool. This mixture may be made 1 to 2 days in advance.
2. Lay the tortillas on a work surface, placing 1/2 cup of filling in the center of each tortilla. Fold the east-west sides to the center, then the north-south sides to the center. The chimichanga should look like an egg-roll or a filled blintz.
3. In batches (so as not to lower the temperature of the oil), fry the chimichangas until a medium golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well on paper towels.
4. Place each chimichanga on a serving plate and top with grated cheddar cheese. Place a scoop of ice cream on each plate. Garnish with a strawberry and a sprig of fresh mint.
Note: This recipe may be halved.
PECAN BUTTER
About three cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 1/2 cups roasted, chopped pecans (see note on roasting)
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 pound butter, at room temperature
1/2 teapsoon white pepper
Salt to taste
1. Place shallots, 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 ounce of pecans in a saute pan. Gently saute until shallots are translucent. Add lemon juice and wine. Reduce by half. Add cream and reduce by half again. Whisk in butter, a small piece at a time, until all of the butter is incorporated into the reduction.
2. Season and strain. To maintain the crunchy texture, add remaining pecans just before serving.
Note: To roast pecans, place a single layer of nuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.
Dakota`s apple, cranberry and pecan chutney goes well with grilled meats or cold meats, game or poultry. Make 1 or 2 days in advance so flavors have time to blend.
To order pecans from Ferguson, call (214) 732-4440, or write R.H. Crawford Pecans, Route 1, Box 146, Forest Chapel, Tex. 75411.
