If you were to put a bull’s eye in the dead center of Texas, you would probably end up in San Saba County. In the heart of the county lies the county seat which is a city by the same name. Other than being the birth place of famed actor, Tommy Lee Jones, San Saba has also been dubbed, “The Pecan Capital of the World.”
Pecan purists, especially those from the state of Georgia (Texas’ main rival when it comes to all things pecan), argue that San Saba gave itself the name. While this might be the case, San Saba has many stakes to this claim.
Photo: texasforestservice.tamu.edu
Where else in the world can you find a tree that has given rise to the modern day pecan as we know it? The famous San Saba, “Mother Pecan” Tree is over 200 years old and has been used as the basis for many other types of pecans.
The Mother Pecan tree has been used to crossbreed other varieties of pecans which have been used in everything from candied pecans to flavoring for coffee and barbecue. Without the Mother Pecan, the pecan as we know it today would not exist.
Who Has 28 Million Pounds of Pecans Ready to Eat?
Photo: bestpecan.com
In addition to the Mother Pecan, San Saba shells over 28 million pounds of pecans each year. That’s 14,000 tons of pecans! This amount does not include the number of pecans that are harvested and used for other purposes. Surely the staggering number of shelled pecans alone gives San Saba claim to the title of Pecan Capital of the World.
The Pecans are Served, My Queen.
Photo: backwoodsbadger.blogspot.com
While the sheer weight of pecans in San Saba is staggering; the county features more than 20 commercials growers. These growers send their products out to the four corners of the earth, literally. The Millican Pecan Company has entertained such high brow clients as Alfred Lord Tennyson, the famed Victorian poet. Millican also provided pecans to Queen Elizabeth and has been a long time supplier for Post Cereals.
By many standards, San Saba may be small in geography and population. But the people who cultivate the tasty Texas delicacy are even more mighty than the crops they help produce. Self proclaimed or not, San Saba deserves to be named The Pecan Capital of the World.
