Eating fresh-picked pecans today from trees planted in 1965, Peoria, Arizona


It's Thursday, January 20th, 2022, and I stopped in at the pecan farm that I pass every morning in Peoria, Arizona. I met the owner of the farm, whom I've spoken to briefly, just in passing, got some fresh-picked pecans, and did a little history adventuring, which I'd like to share with you.

The farm is hidden away in suburban Phoenix, in an area that most people wouldn't even know existed, which is why I love to ride by there. The place is owned and operated by Ron and Kathy Taylor, and I asked for a card so that I could give them free advertising on the internet. Here ya go:


I blurred out their email and telephone number so bad guys won't bother them, but you're gonna need the address if you want to go get some pecans. Surrey is a few blocks south of Thunderbird, by the way.

Ron told me that his parents bought the place in 1962, and he helped plant the trees in 1965. Ron would have been about thirteen or fourteen at the time and I'm inclined to think that he's always been a good hand on a farm. He and Kathy took the pecan farm over from his parents in the mid-nineties.

I bought a pound of pecans, and paid for them with pieces of paper with the pictures of Presidents on them - which I considered very quaint, as I hardly ever do that anymore. Ron has a machine that cracks the pecans open, and I asked him how he ate them, and apparently they're delicious just like that. Here, I'll zoom in on the cracked pecans:


You still have to peel them a bit, but you don't need a nutcracker. They take a bit of fussing to eat, but that's part of the fun. I had a few on my ride, and they really don't need anything, no salt, nothing, you just eat 'em.

No, I didn't take any pictures of the property, that's not polite, but if you can find 69th Avenue and Surrey, and recognize pecan trees, it's easy enough to find. I don't have any vintage photos of the exact area, but I found one of Peoria in the early 1970s. Enjoy!

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