Like any Southerner, I could never imagine a holiday without pecan pie. Yet I was well into adulthood before I actually bought the nuts that went into them.

Rather, every fall I would tromp around in my grandparents' yard with my younger sister Jona, searching for pecans hidden in the drying brown leaves. I can still see the black, bare branches reaching upward in the cool evening shadows, framing the rose-colored sky.

LOUIE FAVORITE/AJC (ENLARGE)

Whole or chopped pecans? Light or dark Karo syrup? These are just two of the sticking points in the South's great pecan pie debate. Regardless of your stand, however, chef Virginia Willis insists on fresh pecans and a watchful eye on 'the ratio of goo to nuts.'

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We'd pick them up by hand, or use a pecan picker-upper, a unique tool coiled like a stiff orange Slinky — probably invented by some ingenious tinkerer tired of nursing a sore back from all that bending over.

We each had a plastic ice cream bucket to fill and then we would transfer them to recycled mesh onion sacks. My grandfather had a nutcracker bolted to a two-by-four, and he would patiently crack the nuts with a sharp whack of the handle, which would crush the shells, but leave the meaty halves intact. We'd brush away the shells with an ancient nut pick, and polish the dust and bitter brown fuzz away with a frazzled toothbrush.

It was a lot of work, but we'd pack most of the precious nuts in freezer bags and squirrel them away for holiday baking. Some, of course, would make their way into Mama's pecan pie for Thanksgiving.

The recipe she used wasn't much different from Pecan Pie I–IV in any Junior League cookbook — all only slight variations on the same theme, but included so as not to ruffle the feathers of any of the esteemed members by showing preference through editing.

What made Mama's a standout, I believe, was the freshness of those pecans.

All pecans are deliciously fatty with oils that can easily go rancid if not stored properly. If you're not using them right away, they need to go straight into the fridge or the freezer. I have fantasized about starting an educational campaign to save those unfortunate souls who do not know any better than sour, shriveled, rancid nuts. My efforts would start by protesting in the produce department, demanding pecans be freed from the shelves and moved to the cold case where they rightfully belong!

Beyond the freshness of the main ingredient, the key to a successful pecan pie, in my opinion, is the ratio of goo to nuts. It is in fact, pecan pie, not goo pie. My mom's measuring cups overflowed with double the amount called for on the Karo label, and she coarsely chopped them — literally making the pie chock-full of nuts.

Opinions vary widely on whether to use chopped nuts, whole halves or a combination of the two. And the debate doesn't end there. White or dark Karo syrup? Southerners, known for our sweet tooth, also reach for cane syrup, molasses, granulated sugar, and light and dark brown sugar to sweeten.

The complexity of the flavor of pure vanilla extract is an automatic for many desserts, and pecan pie is no different. But the smoky fire of bourbon marries well with the richly sweet custard, too. That, and, of course, Southerners need little excuse to add bourbon to anything. Chocolate and nuts are always a marriage made in heaven, and some bakers have even been known to slip in coconut. Perhaps the only thing everyone seems to agree on is that their grandmother's recipe is the best.

ANATOMY

According to the Georgia Pecan Commission, the state leads the nation in pecan production. The 2007 harvest is expected to top 100 million pounds. At about half a pound of pecans per pie, that is enough to make 200 million pecan pies!

While shortcuts abound — besides frozen pies, there is now even a pourable pie filling available — making pecan pie from scratch is extremely easy, and success is virtually guaranteed so long as you take care in choosing your pecans and your sweetener.

Here are a few facts to consider:

Pecans: All pecans are not the same. You may know what's growing in your yard, but 500 varieties of pecans exist today. Varieties commonly planted in Georgia include Cape Fear, Desirable, Elliott, Schley, Stuart, and Sumner.

For years, I've ordered pecans from Pearson Farms in Fort Valley. They produce a variety called Elliots. They are petite, perfect and flavorful pecans with a buttery, nutty taste. I started using Pearson's excellent pecans for all our baking while working for Martha Stewart. I also send them to dear friends all over the world during the holidays so they, too, can enjoy the wonderful taste of Georgia pecans. (www.pearsonfarm.com)

Karo syrup: Essentially, it's corn syrup, a concentrated solution of dextrose and other sugars derived from cornstarch. Karo light corn syrup is a mixture of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup that increases the syrup's sweetness. It is flavored with salt and pure vanilla. Karo dark corn syrup is a mixture of corn syrup and a cane sugar product called refiner's syrup with a hint of molasses flavor. Caramel color and flavor, a preservative — sodium benzoate — and salt are also added.

Cane syrup: This Southern staple is made from the juice boiled down from sugar cane, similar to the way maple sap is boiled down to make maple syrup. Cane syrup is thicker, with more viscosity and tends to have a fuller, sweeter taste than corn syrup.

Molasses: A by-product of sugar refining, it's the syrup remaining after sucrose (white sugar or table sugar) has been crystallized from the juice of sugar cane. There are three grades: light, dark and blackstrap. Blackstrap, from the Dutch word stroop, meaning syrup, is very dark in color and slightly bitter as a result of repeated boiling.

All molasses is available unsulfured and sulfured. Unsulfured molasses is made from the concentrated juice of sun-ripened cane. Sulfured molasses is made from cane that is harvested when slightly green and is generally considered less desirable. Unsulfured molasses is what is most commonly used in pecan pie.

Brown sugar. This is unrefined or partially refined sugar with residual molasses. Or it can be produced by adding molasses to white sugar, which gives it a soft texture. Light brown sugar is more delicate in flavor; dark brown sugar has a more intense molasses flavor. Often it's used in place of some or all of the white sugar to give a pie a deeper flavor.