A little about us...
It was at the start of 2021 that we bought our farm in the beautiful Queensland shire of Biarra, just past Esk. We live in Brookfield, but had been searching for land that we could enjoy with our two young sons for camping, mountain biking and running a few cattle. We instantly fell in love with the Biarra property…and it had the added bonus of a pecan orchard. With guidance from the previous owner, many hours in the library and constant observation and investigation of the orchard, we have learnt A LOT about pecans! Our pecan trees were planted around 30 years ago and managed by two brothers who lived on the land. The land is now being enjoyed by another two brothers – our sons – who are also learning how to manage a pecan orchard! The historical and present day connection to brothers on the land inspired our name, Two Brothers Biarra. Now, onto the pecans…
Our orchard is pesticide free. Our family of 4 hand picks the nuts, so they are pretty much as natural as they come! After picking, we sort them, dry them (the nuts need a couple of weeks to dry out before they taste good) and sell them. We love pecan shells almost as much as we love pecans. Firstly, they keep the nuts fresh. In fact, if you put the nuts in shell in an airtight container in the freezer, they will be fresh for at least a year (and in our experience, much longer). Secondly, the shells are a great by-product. They make fantastic mulch, fantastic compost and are fantastic in a food smoker. Pecans are pretty easy to crack open by hand - no need for a nut cracker. You can crush two nuts together in your hand and one will crack. Or a little bash with a rolling pin works well! Once open, be sure to remove the thin membrane that sits between the two nut halves. The membrane does not taste good! If you buy shelled pecan kernels, please store them in an airtight container in the fridge (or freezer) to keep them fresh and delicious.
