Seed Stories - Grandmother Pecan

Seed Stories - Grandmother Pecan Tree Planted in the Mid 1800's in North Carolina

This Grandmother Pecan Tree was planted in the mid 1800's

I suggested to our small rural library that we begin a Seed Story Library. A wee bit different from a seed bank of local seeds, it includes the story of the seeds. I shared with them the story of old grandmother pecan trees that grow near the century old farmhouse.

To help the library share the Seed Story concept with other library locations in the county and gauge support from residents, I collected pecans and filled a couple jars of seeds to bring them along with a printed copy of the Pecan Seed Story .
 
Space is at a premium at small rural libraries and i distributing them to the community out of planting season could lead to the seeds ending up in a drawer somewhere and be forgotten when planting season rolls around. I suggested that it may work better if the seeds are only available during the best time to plant them. For pecans that time is fall, when the squirrels are planting them. This will limit the amount of space the library needs for to display the seeds if they're only sharing a few seed stories at one time. the stories are also more likely to be read. These are Seed Stories after all, not a seed saving program.
 
Once the seeds have all been taken into the community the story remains. I gave the library an old binder  to store old seed stories. Perhaps one day it will be a collection of Randolph County Seed Stories if they decide to do this in the long term.
 
You'll find the story, planting instructions and a recipe for Pecan Pesto below. Whether you have the Grandmother Seeds to plant or not, please carry this story with you to keep the Grandmother trees alive.

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GRANDMOTHER PECANS

Trees Planted in the Mid 1800's Hold Secrets and Provide an Anchor

Trees Planted in the Mid 1800's Hold Secrets and Provide an Anchor

Two grandmother pecan trees at Ozark Akerz appear to be at least 150 years old. At one point the small farm anchored the trees, now the trees anchor the farm. - Linwood Watson MD | Haliwa-Saponi

I got distracted by the light while doing evening chores a few days ago. The sunset was crimson across the billowing clouds to the west. As it faded, it cast a soft light over the farmhouse that has stood here since 1920. The changing color of the maple leaves with the towering green of the pecans trees behind it added to the gentle mood.
 
The long-standing grandmother trees around the old farmhouse hold many secrets, Elm, Maple, Eastern Red Cedar, Black Walnut, Hackberry and Pecan trees.
 
The grandmother Pecans were planted about 175 years ago. That’s how we determined the approximate age of the log cabin the farmhouse was built around. There was a tradition in the mid 1800’s for newlyweds to plant Pecan trees around the home they built. The logs of the old cabin are clearly visible in the crawlspace. Only one of the cabin walls was used to construct part of the farmhouse. Now clad with drywall, the wall leading into the ‘cabin room’ is considerably thicker than the rest of the house.

My friend Linwood Watson once wrote “Two grandmother pecan trees at Ozark Akerz appear to be at least 150 years old. At one point the small farm anchored the trees, now the trees anchor the farm."
 
Linwood is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe of Eastern North Carolina. His comment reflects his Native American perspective and is one of the most insightful I’ve heard about the importance of trees and forests on our farm. They provide food, medicine, habitat, shade and a place of solitude and reverence. 78% of the farm is forest. Our Pineywoods Cattle share the forest with Bobcats, White-tailed deer, Beavers, Coyotes, Painted Turtles, Otters, Northern Cricket Frogs, Grey Foxes, Eastern Red Bats, Luna Moths, Monarch Butterflies, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms, Barred Owls and 764 other species of animals and plants. We use the iNaturalist App to identify the biodiversity on the farm, each year we discover new species.

The seeds from the grandmother Pecan Trees at Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm in Randolph County have been distributed across North Carolina and into Virginia. Many have sprouted seedlings that are being anchored with care across our state. 
 
Take one Grandmother Ella* seed and one Grandmother Fannie* seed with you, you’ll need to plant both to get pecan nuts in the future. Carry this story with you and share it with others. When you plant the seeds read this story to them, it will help them anchor in their new home. 
 
The story is inseparable from the seeds. It carries a long history of Randolph County and a reverence for the forests we are lucky to have. By sharing this and other Seed Stories, you are keeping the seeds alive.

*Ella is Mike's paternal Grandmother, Fannie is Sue's paternal Grandmother

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Planting Instructions From Nick Wrenn

For planting instructions we went to good friend Nick Wrenn at Living Soil Tree Farm. Nick shares our passion for never using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. When growing trees, Nicks main inputs are leaf compost, woodchips, leaves, and worm compost.

I met Nick at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association conference in 2023, I brought him some of the grandmother Pecan seeds. Not long after the conference, Nick paid us a visit. This is what he wrote about his visit. "Shortly after the conference I went out to visit the farm for the first time. This tree absolutely blew me away. I have never seen such a large pecan tree. It sits in the yard behind the farm house and must have witnessed many generations of humans come and go through that house. Its difficult to estimate age but I can not wrap my arms around this tree. Loose guess I think this tree has to be over 200 years old at the minimum. Although the nuts on this tree are not especially large we feel that its genetics are important based solely on the fact that this tree has stood the test of time. Old trees like this often take on a personal meaning for me that goes beyond physical traits. There are so few old trees left."

Nick sowed the pecan seeds we gave him in 2024. He told us that pecans and acorns share the same planting instructions

"Pecan seed should not be allowed to completely dry out. In zone 7 and warmer pecans can be planted outdoors in fall. Fall planting may work in colder zones although we haven’t tried this ourselves." says Nick. North Carolina is zone 8 and we generally plant our pecan seeds in pots in the fall and cover with some hardware cloth to keep the squirrels and other critters from eating them. After it sprouts in the spring we transfer it to the ground. Plant the seedlings at least 60 feet apart.

Nick adds, "As an alternative to fall planting pecans can be stored in the fridge and planted out in spring. We like to use Ziplock bags. If you see large drops of water in the bag conditions are way too wet. A little visible condensation is okay. Acorns can be stored in other containers in the fridge such as jars. If you want you can pack your acorns with a medium such as sand or coco coir in the bag."

If you have a large amount of pecan seeds Nick continues "If fall planting in not an option for any reason acorns can be stored over winter in buckets with drainage holes packed with the medium of your choice (wood chips, sawdust, compost, sand etc.). These buckets should be insulated from freezing by piling mulch around the outside of the bucket. Be sure to protect the buckets from rodents if you go this route. They can smell acorns from a mile away!" 

Pecan Pesto - A Locally Adapted Recipe

Adapting recipes to use locally available ingredients is one of the ways we Graze Against The Machine. We've adapted our pesto recipe to use ingredients that grow at Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm, we don't grow pine nuts so we use pecans instead and man if it isn't tasty! You can adapt this recipe to use what grows in your area, walnuts, almonds, brasil nuts, etc The hardneck Music garlic we use in this recipe is a variety that grows well in North Carolina and a staple in our garden each season. The basil is fresh from our friends Mary Beth and Brandon's garden, just down the road.

Leave us a comment and let us know if you you have any locally adapted recipes.