Nuts

In Shell

In-shell pecan is the nut still protected by its woody shell—classic holiday cracking- bowl stock and a longer-keeping form than poorly stored shelled halves. Shells slow oxygen and light when the lot is sound and dry. Guests crack their own for interactive snacking; bakers shell ahead for control. Flavour once opened should be sweet-buttery with a tender crunch. Cultivar shell thickness varies from paper-shell ease to tougher native types. Store cool and dry; discard nuts with holes, mould, or a dusty rattle. Provide a bowl for shell waste so fragments do not migrate into desserts. Use a proper cracker on hard shells to avoid smashing kernels to dust. Sound in-shell lots often outlast warm shelled bags through a long winter. Check a sample handful mid-season—storage still fails if the shed was hot.