Winter is pecan season here in Arizona. Harvesting of the oblong, mottled nuts typically runs from December to February. At Green Valley Pecan Company, a multigenerational family business in the Santa Cruz Valley south of Tucson, special tree shaking equipment grabs onto the tree trunks and shakes them vigorously, resulting in a shower of pecans that are vacuumed up for processing. The company offers both conventional and organic pecans as well as pecan-based sweet treats.

Join them for the first Sahuarita Pecan Festival (sahuaritapecanfestival.com) on December 5 to learn more about the farm’s history or order onlineatpecanstore.com.

Green Valley Pecan Company: 1625 E. Sahuarita Rd., Sahuarita; 520-791-2062; greenvalleypecan.com