5 Ways to Dry Wet Pecans

How can pecans picked up after it's rained be dried and what happens if you don't dry them out? If pecans aren't dried out but are left piled on top of each other in a bag or box they will mold. Pecans can begin to mold in as little as two to three days to a week. It really depends how wet the nuts got.

The pecans on the top tend to dry out. It's the nuts at the bottom and the middle that stays wet and get moldy. Once wet pecans start molding the mold will spread even to dry nuts and can quickly ruin the whole bag. The pecan will be moldy when cracked if there is mold on the outside of the shell. Occasionally you might be able to find a nut that hasn't gone bad when cracked if the mold on the outside hasn't had time to find its way to the inside.

Pecans can be dried out several different ways. The wet nuts can be spread out on newspaper to dry. The nuts should be flipped every now and then to insure that both sides get dry.

Get a mesh bag that has holes in it and put the pecans in there. The holes will help the pecans to dry out. Shake the bag every now and then to distribute air between the nuts.

Leave the nuts in a bag or box piled on top of each other and stir the nuts several times in the day and evening hours with your hand so that air can get in between the pecans to dry them out. You might have to stir them up more frequently if they don't seem to be drying out fast enough.

Spread the nuts on a pan and put them in the oven to dry them. Turn the nuts over to dry the other side and don't leave them in too long if you don't want to have roasted nuts. If you prefer you can use a microwave.

Use a hair dryer on the pecans. You can leave the nuts in a bag or box and aim the heat at them. You will begin to see the pecan shells shed their damp color and lighten up to their original shade of light to medium brown. Take your hand and dip it into the bag bringing new layers of wet nuts to the surface. Reach down to the bottom of the bag so that you won't be drying the top and middle layers only.