Picking pecans in the fall

Updated: 8/17/25

Original post: 10/15/12

Except for the wild weather — when it's hot, it's hotter than Florida, and when it's cold, it's colder than Boston — and the occasional deadly tornadoes (the marina got hit twice in the last two springs!), we really do love life here in Chattanooga.

Surrounded by mountains and the beautiful Tennessee River, this area is a true paradise — not just for outdoor lovers, but also for those who enjoy growing their own food. Even with a scorching summer, the harvest this year wasn’t too shabby.

We’re not exactly seasoned farmers ourselves, but our neighbors who planted gardens reaped a generous bounty: green beans, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, corn, and even pears. Nature has been good to them — and us (thank you guys!).

Over our five years here at Hales Bar Marina, we’ve had our own little adventures in foraging. We've picked wild blackberries, gathered gingko nuts, and most recently, collected fresh pecans. Not bad for casual foragers!

Pecan halves

Gingko tree

peeling gingko nuts

Sure, our hands got stained from picking, but it was so much fun! 

Cracking pecans

Thank goodness for this pecan cracker tool!

Final product - spiced pecans and pecan pie

We captured the whole pecan-picking adventure on video

This recent pecan-picking adventure brought back sweet memories of our time cruising the Chesapeake Bay. While docked at Solomons Island, Maryland, we stumbled upon chestnut trees — and just like that, we were off on another foraging mission. Picking chestnuts was a blast, but learning how to shell, cook, and glaze them was a whole new experience!

Both pecans and chestnuts make wonderful holiday treats, but let’s be honest — pecans are so much easier to handle. After collecting and shelling them (special thanks again to Melba and Georgia!), we wasted no time putting them to good use.

First up: spiced pecans (recipe below) — addictive and perfect for snacking or gifting. And of course, we couldn’t resist baking a classic pecan pie. Yum!

Spiced Pecans
[Print Recipe]
This recipe is adapted from one I found on the Internet. Great for a snack anytime.

 
2 cups pecan halves
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla 

1 Tbsp water 

¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar 

¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp cloves 

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 

 2. In a small bowl, beat the egg white with the vanilla and water. Stir in pecans, mixing until well moistened. 

3. In a small bowl, mix together white and brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle over nuts. Spread nuts on prepared pan. 

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Be careful not to burn the nuts. Enjoy!

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