I picked up enough pecans for a pie on Sunday, only trouble is they are shelling out so slowwww, anyone got any ideas on how to shell them faster? I will never get them all shelled in time to make a pie at the rate I am going!

And my fingers HURT and have turned a dingy shade of dirty:D

I find that getting a couple other people to do the work makes it go much faster and easier.

"Place nuts in a damp place overnight to prevent brittleness of the kernels during cracking. Some home food preservers recommend soaking pecans in boiling hot water for 10 minutes or microwaving 2 cups of pecans in 1 cup of water for 5 to 6 minutes on high. Shell nuts, keeping kernels as nearly whole as possible, using a nutcracker or simply a hammer. Spread pecans in a thin layer to dry for 24 hours. "

I'm older now - times are different. Now I "cheat" - buy them already shelled. And I'm not paying for the weight of the shells, it saves on time and energy.

The only nuts I crack are the ones I put out to snack on. It's too much of a hassle for baking.

I put my shelling time in during this life - probably enough for all of you and all your families for generations to come.

cheating Mama..........

Thanks CanMan for the excellent tips I have never heard of that before! I am going to give it a try.

Hope your Thanksgiving turns out to be nice!

I cheat too and buy them shelled....but my Mother in law gave me 2 lbs of shelled pecans so I didn't even have to buy any.