Usually the few we have had on the tree get knocked off by white cockatoos. All with one bite taken out!!!
Last year we barely picked enough to cook a small pecan pie.
Tui helped her dad pick up all the nuts on the ground.
They are still getting knocked off by cockatoos but there are so many nuts this year that we've collected hundreds.
The tree is a beautiful shadey tree in Summer and loses it's leaves in winter which lets in some beautiful warm winter Sun to the house. Only problem is that the tree is right outside the bedroom window. So at dawn evey morning lately, we are woken up by fifty squawking cockatoos. For those who have not heard a cockatoo they have a very high pitched squawk.
But you can forgive them when you can go a pick up these beautiful fresh nuts.
Tui was helping dad sort the nuts when we found an interesting phenonomen. The outer green shells of the nuts have something in them which dyes your skin black!!!
After a quick bit of internet research we found that the husks were traditionally used for dyeing and tanning leather. And that the only way to get the colour off is to wait! So Tui and her dad have been walking around with black fingers for a couple of days.
The fresh nuts are soooo delicious. It's a bit of a family challenge at the moment to see who can shell one and get a whole nut out without breaking it into pieces.
Now if anyone has a nice pecan pie recipe I'd be more than happy to try it :)
