Pea Shellers! Get your pea shellers! Right here!

Pea Shellers!  Get your pea shellers!  Right here!  By Amy O'Barr

Many of you may have planting and care on the brain right now but I'd like to encourage you all to think about your shelling needs.  Right now, we are just at the end of April but many of you will be shelling your peas and beans before you know it.  If you are in the market to save those thumbs and buy a pea sheller, I cannot encourage you enough to order yours today.  Right now, we are taking orders for the Model 675V2 (see my previous article for more info on this model) at $579.95 with FREE shipping!  The lead time (that is, how long before we ship it) is running three weeks.  So for those who order today, you will receive yours in near the end of May.  That's why it is so important to get your order in now.  We have tons and tons of orders now and we don't want to leave your thumbs empty-handed.  Call us at 855-743-5537 or visit 855Sheller.com to snag yours today.  

Thanks!

Amy O'Barr

An Update on the World of Pea Shellers by Amy O'Barr

 by Amy O'Barr

The phones are ringing off the hooks here at Southern Garden Tools and pea sheller orders are pouring in.  I'd like to take the time to update our customers are what's happening in the world of pea shellers.  Who knew so much could be happening in this arena?

Many of you are familiar with the Taylor Pea Shellers that have been crafted in Moultrie, Georgia for decades.  Sadly, in 2020, the owner of Taylor Pea Shellers, Terry Taylor, passed away unexpectedly.  Terry was the son of the original owner and designer of this style of pea sheller.  After much consideration, Terry's family has declined to continuing making the pea shellers.

Southern Garden Tools is now manufacturing the roller-style, American-made pea shellers that you have come to associate with quality results.  These are now made in Alabama and now offer a two-year warranty.  To differentiate the pea shellers from the previous generation made in Moultrie, we now call these the Model 675 Version 2 or V2 for short.

We are currently accepting orders for these pea shellers with an approximate three week ship time (as of this writing on April 22, 2021).  Head on over to 855Sheller.com and purchase yours today.  Your thumbs will thank you later.  

For more writings by Amy O'Barr, subscribe to our blog. 

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!

Breaking News in the Pine Cone Clean-Up World

Perhaps "breaking news" in the pine cone world is a bit extreme for our new product release but if you've ever had to pick up pine cones, you know that this can be a serious matter.  Pine cones can be annoying and hurtful (maybe like some people you know)!  We've sold the Pine Cone Wizard by Holt's Nut Wizard for many years now and truly, it is a best seller for us!

However, it is designed to pick up large pine cones and well, not all pine cones are large!  Our recommendation for small pine cones has always been the Large Nut Wizard by Holt's Nut Wizard.  This model is perfect for black walnuts, sweet gum balls, magnolia seed heads, apple/pear and small fruits-- basically anything 1" to 4" in size.  It does a pretty decent job on small and skinny pine cones too but we have been asking Holt's Nut Wizard to address smaller pine cones-- and they delivered!  We now offer the Small Pine Cone Wizard.  Check it out.

The first picture shows the Small Pine Cone Wizard.  The length measures 15" (basket only- no end pieces).  The second picture shows a comparison between the Large Pine Cone Wizard and the Small Pine Cone Wizard.  Ready for your own pine cone harvester?  You can order them here.  Until next time, the pine cone picking up world is shookth. 

Have you checked out our Pearce Brothers Nut Crackers? No? You are nuts!

Hey loyal readership!  Have you checked out our Pearce Brother Cracking Machines?  If you haven't, you are nuts!  Pun intended!  Check out these powerful nut crackers that crack pecans, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and English walnuts.  Need 35lbs per hour?  We can handle it!  200lbs per hour?  We can handle that too!  We even have cleaners.  Now is the perfect time to order these commercial nutcrackers-- do it before the season starts!  Questions?  Hit us up and we will lend our expert advice.  Email us at hello@855sheller.com.  Meanwhile, check out these crackers in action right here. 

Why You Should Buy Taylor; Why You Should Buy Us

It is time to address the proverbial elephant in the room when it comes to pea shellers.  We've noticed an increase in phone calls asking about a different type of Taylor Pea Sheller.  Ladies and Gentlemen-- there is but ONE Taylor Manufacturing and ONE Taylor Little Sheller.  And we are the #1 dealer of these.  If you've seen overseas companies marketing a pea sheller on a stand as a Taylor Pea Sheller... I'm sorry, but that's simply not an authentic Taylor.  So how can you know what's a REAL Taylor and what's not?  Well, that's easy!

Buy from a trusted dealer.  We are a trusted dealer here at 855Sheller.  We are the #1 dealer.  We travel weekly to the manufacturer's location and buy Taylor Little Shellers in bulk.  We carry a full line of parts for these shellers.  We train our staff extensively on Taylors.  We offer a full support experience with extended hours for your convenience.

You may be asking yourself, "OK- so I know how to identify authentic Taylor Pea Shellers but why shouldn't I try one of the other ones.  Here's why:

• They are not American-made.  Taylor Pea and Bean Shellers are proudly made in the USA with American labor.
• They generally ship FROM China and can take up to a month.  Will your peas and beans last a month?
• Damaged in shipping?  Doesn't work?  Just don't like it?  How will you return it?  How can you receive a refund from overseas?  How can you communicate with the seller if you do not speak their language?  
• Most, if not all, are 220V-- which means it is unlikely to be compatible with your home voltage.  
• They have very little customer reviews-- and those reviews that do exist are poor.  
• Does the inauthentic Taylor have adjustable rollers?  Safety features?  We don't know.  The product descriptions are short and explain very little.

We have heard from several customers who now have to RE-INVEST in a pea sheller after a disaster with the knock-off Taylor.

Buy an authentic Taylor Pea Sheller and buy from us.  We have Little Shellers IN STOCK and available for shipping today or tomorrow depending on when you place your order.  We ship via FedEx for super fast delivery.  Still on the fence?  No problem.  Call us!  Ask all the questions you may have!  We are hear to help you.  855-743-5537-- hope to hear from you soon!

 Elephant Photo Credits- See here.