So, is it PEE-CAN or PUH-CON? I believe the most citified among us would vote for the latter. Us southern folk, I would bet, prefer the correct pronunciation which resembles something a teenager may do in a can on a road trip in a pinch. Either way, these nuts are hidden gems in a milk chocolate colored shell.

Like manna, which lay about the ground, it only takes a quick crouch to gobble up a handful. These delectable nuts rain from on high. Though like fruits of labor snatched from the fertile soil by both mechanical harvesters and human hands, pecans are equally as satisfying. Kale, not so much.

These sweet nuts perform best when swimming inside a pie shell doused in gooey goodness. Pecans, House Autry breading notwithstanding, are a southerner’s secret ingredient we sneak in to about any baked good we deem necessary. If you happen to have a bottle of bourbon born in the bluegrass state and a bit of bitter sweet chocolate, throw together a Kentucky pecan pie. Just be judicious with the liquor. Your six-year old needs not any additional aid to misbehave at the family gathering.

As most mischievous boys under the age of 12 might do, I spent many days coercing my nutty snacks from the trees they were attached to with whatever I could throw high enough to relieve them from their high perch. Footballs worked best. I paid no mind to the ones under foot as I pursued my quarry. It was way too much fun doing it my way. As I aged, and my enthusiasm for working harder waned, I began to adopt what smart southern pecan harvesters have done for generations…lay down a tarp for a few days and, like a hungry hippo, gather those which have jumped to their demise by the hundreds. Tossing pecans in a tin pail from on far, was also a great way to pass the time and improve my hand-eye coordination.

Be sure to grab a slice of sweet pecan pie, pecan clusters or pecan pralines, along with a frosty mug of eggnog this Christmas, an alcohol spike is optional. I promise this fruit born from heaven will not disappoint. There’s also a sense of satisfaction, whether cracked by hand two by two or with a tool, the effort is worth the work.

To say southerners place these oblong nuts close to the top of the dessert food pyramid of ingredient goodness is no exaggeration. Fresh from the tree is best and the most fun, but if you find yourself with an hankering for pee-cans, Elizabeth’s Pecans in Turkey, NC has a respectable offering of all kinds, but like gambling, commit to a quota of how many you plan to eat or the bag will be empty before you hit your front door.