News Article for December 14, 2015:

Santa Claus is coming to town and I am realizing that he is getting here sooner than I am getting ready. There is so much to do and so little time to do it.

I am always on the lookout for items that the farmer, outdoorsman and gardener could use to make life easier and it just so happens that they would also make good gift ideas for the ones who are still on your Christmas list.

Some of the best cooks I know are those that grow their own food and harvest the abundant wildlife that we have available to us. What cook could not use cast iron cookware. There are so many specialty sizes to choose. Maybe they need a small jambalaya pot or a new Dutch oven for outside fish frying. What about a griddle for breakfast foods or a cornbread skillet.

Cooking utensils and serving spoons are always needed. They will need some wooden spoons and large serving spoon or maybe a large paddle for turning jambalaya.

Every cook has to have a way to turn up the heat. Maybe they need a new burner, one for boiling and one for frying or simmering. There are burners on carts and don’t forget a new propone tank and regulator.

Does your cook like to grill? Look for a new smoker, oil-less turkey fryer or maybe a smaller grill to take tailgating. In addition they could use a new set of outdoor grilling tools like spatula, fork, tongs, wire brush for cleaning the grill and a charcoal starter chimney. They will need some charcoal and maybe wood chips for cooking and a long handled lighter to get the fire started safely.

Now think about the difficulty in putting up the Christmas decorations and think about making it easier to take them down. One ladder will never perform all the tasks necessary. Add a 2 step folding ladder for those just out of reach projects like reaching top shelves, changing light bulbs and hanging mistletoe over the door. A 6 foot ladder is the go to ladder but it won’t get you on top of the house to clean off the pine straw, so get a 8 foot fiberglass step ladder for a sturdy climb. For homes with high ceiling you will need an extension ladder to clean the gutters or maybe they need a multi-position ladder to maintain the recreational vehicle.

Now to help organize all of the seasonal decorations and tools who does not need more shelving space? Your outdoorsman will want the heavy duty metal rack shelves that will not buckle under the weight. If you want to help organize the shelves pick containers made of clear plastic, no one wants to have to open containers to figure out what is in there.

Wall space can add a lot of storage if there is a way to hang yard tools, hoses, electrical cords, etc. Peg boards with hooks offer an easy solution that makes it easy to rearrange tools based on unique sizes and shapes. Wall rails make it easy to get garden tools off the floor.

You know winter is the time to prune trees so take a look at pruning poles. There are some neat fiberglass options that can extend 16 feet or so. An easier but heavier option is to get a chainsaw pruning pole, they make them battery operated, electric and the more powerful ones with a small gasoline engine.

Some of my favorite last minute adds would be leather gloves (they always wear out), ear plugs, hand pruners, pocket knife and a sharpener.

So what are you waiting for, Christmas?

For more information on these or related topics contact Kenny at 225-686-3020 or visit our website at www.lsuagcenter.com/livingston.