All about Holt's Nut Wizards

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, we turn our thoughts to fall and all the joys it brings.  This is my favorite season because I love Halloween and pumpkins and all the fun that's to be had at this time of year.  Here at Southern Garden Tools, we shift our thoughts from pea shellers and corn creamers to cider press and grinders and nuts!  We have a thriving nut business and today, let's discuss our most popular nut products-- the Holt's Nut Wizard.

Now, if you've never seen one of these nut harvesting tools, let's take a look.

Holt's Nut Wizards-- the ultimate nut picker upper-- come in a variety of sizes and we will get to that.  But first, the basic components of a nut wizard is the football-shaped basket, the triangle-shaped bale and the wooden handle.  The basket is composed of flexible wires that are press-fitted into metal cores on each end.  These wires hold firm and do not break away from the ends as you roll over your nuts.  The bale simply holds the nut picker upper basket in its grip firmly and screws into the pole.  The handles vary in color from blue to yellow to wood depending on the size.

Let's get to sizes. We have nut wizards for all types of nuts/similar size objects including pin acorn, chinquapin, small acorns, pecans, hazel nuts, crab apples, bitternuts, large acorns, English walnuts, spent brass, shotgun shells, golf balls, black walnuts, sweet gumballs, apples, pears and even tennis balls!  Don't see your nut need listed?  Just contact us for expert advice. 

We hear from customers who say-- why can't I buy a Large Nut Wizard for pecans-- that way, I can pick up more?  Well, it doesn't quite work that way.  The nut rollers are designed specifically for the type of nut listed.  If you bought that Large Nut Wizard for pecans, you would find that they may become trapped in the basket for a very short period of time and then fall out because the wires are spaced too far apart to hold in that smaller nut.

There is another accessory that is available for these nut harvesters-- the "emptying tool" or the unloader or as we call them around here, the dumper.  The dumper tool costs just $4 when ordering alongside of a Holt's Nut Wizard and they assist in being able to empty the roller basket without touching the nuts (which can be very helpful for nuts like black walnuts-- which have a very icky substance on them!).  The dumper is easier to show how to use than explain.  Let's look.

The dumper has two "legs" that fit on to a five gallon bucket.  Your nut roller basket slides down on the protruding end of the dumper and the wires spread, allowing the collected nuts to dump into the bucket.  That simple!  A very handy accessory to the nut harvesters.

 Nut Wizards are really easy to use.  Check out this customer video!  You can also check out the instructions right here!

There are imposters... those weasels!  But Holt's is the original nut picker upper and is American-made-- simply built to last.  You can't say that about those other garden people.  

That's the conclusion of our what's what's with Holt's Nut Wizard Picker Uppers.  Feel free to comment or email us with any questions.  You can own your own nut rollers by shopping right here.  Oh-- and enjoy that free shipping! 

A Lesson on Bag-A-Nuts Nut Harvester/Picker Uppers

As soon as the school bells ring here in Alabama, we know this marks the early on-set of nut season.  What is nut season here at Southern Garden Tools?  That's when customers begin calling and emailing and ordering items from our full line of nut picker uppers and nut crackers.  We sell a wide variety of products to solve your nut needs.  Today, let's discuss one of our most popular products-- Bag-A-Nut Harvesters.

First, what is a Bag-A-Nut?  Bag-A-Nuts (or BagANuts or Bag A Nuts) are American-made nut rollers that come in a variety of wheel length and "magic finger" spacing to address the needs of families all the way up to businesses.  Bag-A-Nuts are quality made and backed by a full year warranty.

The first decision in purchasing a Bag-A-Nut is wheel width.  Bag-A-Nuts are available in:

  

Now that we have explored the different lengths of wheels, let's discuss the next most important decision in purchasing your Bag-A-Nut-- what model do you need to pick up the nuts in your yard?

Many people underestimate this decision but if you choose the wrong model, your nut harvester will not be effective.  Let's explore why.

This is a close-up picture of a model that picks up acorns or other nuts sizes 1/4" to 1".  The blue "magic fingers" that hold the nuts as they are picked up are spaced closely together to accommodate the small nut size.  If you were trying to pick up nuts that are two inches in size, the nuts would have a difficult time wedging between the fingers.

This is a black walnut picker upper.  As you can see, if you attempted to pick up acorns with this roller, the acorns would simply roll through the BagANut and back to the ground.  Picking the correct model is imperative!

Here is a list of the models to ensure you are choosing the perfect one for your particular nuts:

Now if you are simply overwhelmed by this chart, no worries!  This is simply to demonstrate the various models available to make sure that you see the variety available to fit your needs.

On our website, each wheel length and nut picking up model is detailed for your convenience.

We often find that customers have trouble deciding which model size to get.  We can help with that!  Unlike other retailers that just slap products up there with no knowledge of what they are selling, we pride ourselves in being experts on what we sell.  If you need have any questions or if you need advice on which model is best for your needs, just email us at hello@855sheller.com.  Please include a picture like this: 

And there you have it!  You have concluded Bag-A-Nut 101.  Stay tuned to this blog for more info on Bag A Nut, Holt's Nut Wizard, Pecan Crackers, Black Walnut Crackers and more!

Wonderful Nut Wizard News!

Customers have long requested a retractable handle for nut wizards but to date, we've only been able to offer them for our smallest models.  However, in order to offer our customers their most-requested features, we have found an American-made retractable handle that works great for all sizes of the nut harvesters.  Collapsing to just over 2 feet, this aluminum construction extends to four feet.  Rust-free with a bi-directional twist-lock system means it is perfect for the different heights in your family.  Make nut collecting a family affair!  To order your nut wizard with retractable handle (or a retractable handle if you already own a nut wizard), call Amy at 855-743-5537 or email amy@egarden.com!  Soon to be featured at 855Sheller.com!

Holt's Nut Wizard-- A wirey issue!

 

Holt's Nut Wizards are one of our most popular products.  We often receive calls from customers who want to replace just the basket of their nut picker uppers due to the wires becoming spaced incorrectly.  We wanted to share a helpful hint on how to correct this issue-- a real $$ saver!  Check out the above video and give it a try!  

A few facts about the Holt's Nut Wizards:

-- These nut harvesters are proudly manufactured in the United States.

-- The nut roller wires cannot be replaced as they are press-fitted to ensure durability.

-- The size of the Nut Wizard basket is NOT to determine how much you can pick up.  Instead, it determines WHAT you can pick up.  Check out the chart below and feel free to contact us with further questions!  We are here to offer expert advice.   

-- Nut Wizards are not just meant for nuts!  They can also pick up pistol and rifle brass, shotgun shells and wads, tennis and golf balls, sweet gum balls, small/medium fruit and more!

Which Nut Wizard is Right for You?
Large Nut Wizard	Medium Nut Wizard	Small Nut Wizard	Ex-Small Nut Wizard	Mini Nut Wizard
1" to 4" » Black Walnuts » Sweet Gumballs » Apple and Pear Sized Fruit » Magnolia Seed Heads »Tennis Balls	3/4" to 4" »English Walnuts »Chestnuts »Red Oak »Buckeye »Large Pecans »Shotgun Shells »Golf Balls	1/2" to 2" »Most Acorns »Pecans »Hickory Nuts »Bitternuts »Mocker Nuts »Hazelnuts/ Filbert Nuts »Crab Apples	3/8" to 1" »Chinquapi (a.k.a. Pin) »Beechnuts »Brass Casings (9 mm and up)	3/8" to 1" »Chinquapi (a.k.a. Pin) »Beechnuts »Brass Casings (.22 and up)

How Do You Gather Your Nuts?

Nut Wizard

As the time draws near to start your nut gathering, do you start dreading the idea of bending over and stooping to gather all your yummy nuts? We here at Southern Garden Tools don't like that idea either! We like to help make things easier and more efficient for you. So today I will introduce you to your new best nut gathering friend. Meet the Nut Wizard! Now that introductions are out of the way, let's get down to business. Before I start telling you how much I love the Nut Wizard  and how many times my back has said thank you, here is a short video.

                            

Isn't that neat? It is so super simple to use. We have Nut Wizards available in a variety of sizes for a variety of nuts and even pine cones. Mini Nut Wizards are perfect for little beechnuts or even .22 and larger brass casings from fired gun rounds. Small  Nut Wizards are great for pecans, hickory nuts, acorns, and even crab apples. I use the Medium Nut Wizard to gobble up English walnuts, chestnuts and even golf balls or shotgun shells. The Large Nut Wizard is extremely versatile when it picks up black walnuts, apples, pears, or even tennis balls. We even offer a Pine Cone Wizard that can grab up all those pesky pine cones in mere minutes.

I love the design of the Nut Wizard. It features metal wires which spread to capture your nuts, fruits, casings, and balls. Once inside, they are trapped so they stay put until you are ready to empty the basket. Thanks to this metal wire design, when you are ready to empty, simply attach a nut dumper (included with the Nut Wizard) onto any 5 gallon bucket, place the wire basket on the dumper, and give a slight turn to the right. Everything will cascade right out into your bucket. Truthfully, I have also seen them attached to trash cans and other buckets. I even attached one to an old kitty litter bucket last week when I was showing my Mother-in-Law how it works. Now, what about your back? I know, I promised a thankful back. The Nut Wizard has a 4 foot handle! Stand comfortably while the rolling wire basket does all the hard work.

Now, If I may, I would like to quote a little Shakespeare, "Is A Nut Wizard By Any Other Name Just As Sweet?" Oh, that isn't correct is it? Well, you understand what I was trying to say and to answer that question, No, it just isn't. The Nut Wizard goes by many other names:nut picker, nut roller, nut picker-upper, basket nut tool, nut grabber, yard roller......you get the idea. In all of that, there is only one name to remember and that is the Nut Wizard.

Ready To Gather Nuts and Apples?

Hurry on over to 855Sheller.com. We have all the Nut Wizards you could ever want! Don't break your back this year when gathering time is here. Do you need help cracking your bounty? We can help you with that also. We offer the Master Cracker Black Walnut Cracker. Is it perfect for all size nuts and so is the Get Crackin' Hard Shell Cracker! One of our favorites is the Kinetic Kracker electric pecan cracker which makes easy work of pecan cracking. We have you covered for all your nut cracking needs.

Pine Cones Taking Over?

Pine Cone Wizard

Pine Cones, Pine Cones, EVERYWHERE!

Don't let Pine Cone's overrun your yard and don't strain your back as you gather them up. I love our Pine Cone Wizard because it glides right over them, trapping them inside until you are ready to free them. I never even knew there was such a thing until I began working here. All I could think was, Genius!

The Pine Cone Wizard is built with a 4ft long pole which will have your back thanking you when the gathering is all over. The gathering basket is freely spinning and can hold up to 3 ¾ gallons of pine cones. That is a whole lot of pine cones!

Give your back an early Christmas present and use the Pine Cone Wizard to do the dirty work for you. You can order them straight from our website

www.855sheller.com

Cinnamon Pear Applesauce and Sweet Friends

It is the time of year to gather Apples and Pears, then get to baking! I decided to take my children to visit my Dad this weekend and gather pears from a tree at his home. We all had a wonderful time using our large NutWizard to pick the pears right off the ground after my son climbed up the tree to shake the branches. Those of us who were waiting to use the Nut Wizard had a Harvesting Bag that we strapped on like a belt and slipped our pears right into. I tried to snap a photo, but they were too fast for me!

After visiting a while we loaded up our bounty so we could go home and make Pear Applesauce! Before we got started, we made a little detour across the road to share some of these goodies with this sweet lady. We picked a large laundry basket full of pears, so they will be divided between sauces and pie fillings....and probably a pear cake... so we can enjoy them year round.

Now, I am excited to share our recipe for Pear Applesauce. Guilt-free and no sugar added...ready for it? Do you have some apples, pears, and cinnamon? Perfect!

Ingredients:

3 Apples

4 Pears

Cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Slice and core your apples and pears. You can peel them if you prefer, but I don't because the skins will curl up and can be removed later.
2. Place all together in your crock pot and sprinkle cinnamon over them. I like cinnamon, so I am heavy handed with mine. Of course, if you don't like cinnamon, leave it out.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours. When finished either mash them up with a potato masher, or to make it even more simple, use a Food Strainer. TIME TO ENJOY!

This recipe make about 4 servings. I normally triple or quadruple the recipe to store in a jar in the fridge. It is perfect for when we have a sweet tooth and helps get even more fruit it. It is also a great recipe to can and put away. I LOVE my Canner. It is so worth the investment because of all of the money we save by putting away fresh picked fruits and vegetables rather than buying from the store. Even better than that, I know there is nothing extra added and my family is getting nothing but what I want when I open those jars. Another great way to enjoy pears would be Pear Chips. I use our Dehydrator to make sliced pears, apples, bananas,...I could go on...into healthy snacks perfect for school lunch boxes and growing tummies.

 You can find Strainers, Canners, Dehydrators, NutWizards (of all sizes), and so much more right on our website 

www.lawn-gardening-tools.com