PERSIMMONS – THE FALL FRUIT

Hachiya Persimmons are the best variety to
cook up cookies, cakes, pies and
even sorbets

As Summer makes her exit for another year, Fall ushers in an array of harvest fruits and veggies we all look forward to eating.  Persimmons are an unusual, but delicious fruit whose harvest season is relatively short – September through Late October/Mid-November.  There are a few varieties, but the Hachiya (“Hi-CHEE-ah”) is the most popular and delicious. You cannot eat the skin (very bitter), and this delicious fruit is best used in cooking puddings, cookies, cakes, pies or even as a sorbet.

Persimmon Cookies are a muffin-like
spiced cookie that has a unique
delicious flavor all its own

The fruit should be completely orange (no green or yellow spots) for maximum ripe goodness. While most fruits get somewhat damaged when frozen, the Hachiya Persimmon cooks up best after a freeze. It’s a great way to store this fruit for year round use should you be lucky enough to have a prolific tree.  You can either freeze whole with the skin, then remove skin and seeds before use, or I prefer to remove skins and seeds, then place pulp in freezer Ziploc baggie for use whenever the mood strikes me for some great Persimmon Cookies.  [See Persimmon Cookie Recipe for a delicious muffin-like cookie that has a great unique spiced flavor all its own.  Enjoy the Fall and Harvest Season!

TIP: Decorate your outdoor patio or backyard with holiday decors and host a Cookie Party.  It’s a great way to get a variety of cookies for all neighbors to share and make celebrating the holidays fun and full of variety!

Source: CaliforniaBountiful.com – Sept/October 2012 Magazine

ORDERING CUSTOM MADE GARDEN DECORS

Check out www.GlitzyKitzy.com or www.GlitzyGardenDecor.com
for custom made garden decors for any party event or special occasion.

Having a garden wedding reception and need affordable, quality decorations? Short on time and dollars, but want to make your special occasion a memorable one? Throwing your best friend a baby shower and need some suggestions?  Turn to Glitzy Kitzy for custom made-to-order decorations sure to please your guests. 

Your garden patio needs some panache for your special 25th Anniversary event -- Glitzy Kitzy has you covered.  Need additional planters or a decorated trellis? No worries, Glitzy Kitzy has your back.  Glitzy Kitzy is simple, reliable, affordable and will take one less detail off your crowded party-planning plate.

Visit GlitzyKitzy.com or click here to see some sample decorations and design elements. We can make your event as easy as order it, receive it, then plug-in and party!

GLITZY GARDEN DECOR's NEW LOOK

Check out http://www.GlitzyGardenDecor.com to see our new look and new ideas. 

Like us on Facebook and pass along to all your friends.  Sign-in to get on our new email list for occasional promotions to purchase holiday decors, one-time deals in our Backyard Bargainz, and more!

We make your outdoor space a Glitzy Garden Party place!

See http://www.facebook.com/GlitzyGardenDecor and personally on  http://www.facebook.com/JEAEnterprises

Please LIKE US on Facebook today (and even if you did so before as the page has changed). Thank you friends and family!

All the best wishes, 
Glitzy  

INTRODUCING ... GLITZY KITZY

Since the economy is not returning to it's robust self, especially anytime soon, some newly engaged people are having a tough time being able to afford to get married. The cost of renting halls, buffet tables, food service, photography, not to mention all the decorations ... the expense is mind-boggling. 

Many new couples are turning to the idea of Garden Wedding Receptions or Parties.  This is a terrific idea and an inexpensive way to still celebrate the happy occasion without going broke.  But what if you are too busy to coordinate the decorations, or you simply don't have a decorator's touch?  Wedding coordinators can be an expensive service to hire as well.  No worries ... Glitzy Garden Decor has you covered.  

Sample garland for Garden Wedding Reception.  Includes
Clear white twinkle lights and glittery silver leaves.

Introducing the new GLITZY KITZY (a garden party resource for any occasion). We can coordinate your decorations, custom-made-to-order, and ship them to you for fast,easy, hang-them-up and whah-la -- instant party panache!  Whether it's for a garden wedding, an anniversary celebration, a big birthday bash, a new arrival or even just a bridal shower ... GlitzyGardenDecor.com can custom make your decorations for your outdoor patio party fun.  We can even make specialty decors for the holidays.

Choose from our list of design elements, email us and we will send you a quote. After payment is received, we ship your custom designed decorations to you. So simple and takes the stress and worry out of large party coordination.  Visit www.GlitzyKitzy.com or see more details on our highly secure main Garden Party resource website.

Http://www.GlitzyGardenDecor.com has custom-made
garden party decorations available for you!

Glitzy Garden Decor wants to be your Garden Party Resource.  Check us out and make your outdoor space a Glitzy Garden Party Place.

AMENDING CLAY SOIL

Source: Organic Gardening Vol 59:5 (Pgs. 54 & 63)

Clay soil compacts and clumps, choking out
successful plant growth.

While some good nutrients can come from clay soil, amending it to make it more “plant and garden” friendly is highly recommended.

Dried clay soil cracks and crumbles easily.

Clay is a minuscule mineral and too high of content in your soil can wreak havoc on gardens.  Clay tends to be a flat particle that compacts and hardens very easily.  It also restricts most oxygen, nutrients and moisture throughout plant roots, thus choking out growth. Compost is great for amendments of soil.  It is important not to walk on clay soil when wet or to overwork it because it only serves to compact it more. Instead, spread some straw, organic mulch, rice hulls, leaves or “Perlite” on top and trowel or shovel it into the soil.  

Add amendment mixture such as
Gromulch to fix  compact soil content.

Putting these ingredients into clay soil gives air and room, making it loosen.  Kellogg’s Gromulch is also a great pre-mixed soil amendment. While small gravel rocks may help provide air and space, avoid too much of this remedy as it can take over the soil space. Once the soil amends, the gravel will take over with a new set of growing problems, so it’s best to amend with composting materials and wait (usually a few weeks). Do water a little bit, but preparing clay or compact soil will ensure the money you dish out for new planting will not be thrown away, but yield successful garden growth.

GARDEN WEDDINGS CAN BE EASY ON THE WALLET

Pre-lit Wedding White Garland with doves, glittery
silver leaves and white florals

 For anyone who has a son or daughter to marry soon, or perhaps a first or even second marriage in the near future can tell you the exorbitant costs involved in renting reception halls/rooms, food, decorations, DJs and the whole gambit of traditional wedding hullabaloo. With rising costs of everything from home-ownership, family planning and living now for more than just one person in your budget, the cost of weddings can put new couples in financial straights before their life even begins.

Glitzy Garden Decor has come up with a suggestion and small solution. We can help new couples wed, have a memorable event and still have a few dollars left in the bank when they return home from their honeymoon. 

Golden Anniversary Garland is pre-lit with clear twinkle lights
and glitter golden leaves with ivy.

Introducing GLITZY KITZY, pre-made wedding decorations that can be custom ordered with your chosen theme and colors in mind, (provided our suppliers have products available). We can make backyard garden and Patio Party wedding decorations tailored for your special day. Whether you are getting married in a church, then having a reception in a backyard or garden, or holding a by-the-beach ceremony and need floral arrangements for your canopies, we can help make your day a fun-filled picture perfect memory.

If you have access to an arbor, what better place
to hold a backyard wedding ceremony and reception?
Let Glitzy Garden Decor's GLITZY KITZY
supply the floral and greenery arrangements

A few sample kits have been posted on our site, but remember ... we can custom make just about anything if product is available from our suppliers.  And the best part is, you get to keep and can reuse the silk florals and greenery for other events and occasions. Give us a try and save some dollars at the same time.

CITRUS THRIVES IN HEAT by Rose Crawford

Aerial photo of Southern California's San Juaquin Valley
Citrus Groves. In the 1960s-1970s, much of SoCal was covered
by miles of lemon, orange, grapefruit and kumquats.

Ever wonder why Southern California and Florida are the top producing states for citrus product?  While both states sit above the Tropic of Cancer in geological location, there is another common tie.  Both states can get extreme heat…Florida being more humid.

Sunkist is still the leading citrus brand that has remained
in Southern California. Ninety percent of Japan's Lemon imports
come from California USA.

Recalling the days when sunny Southern California had vast orange and lemon groves for as far as the eye could see, there are still several agricultural areas in California where citrus flourish. During the extremely hot days (above 95 degrees Fahrenheit), slow flooding irrigation around the trees once a week, soaking water down 3 to 4 feet into the roots seem to make the citrus plump and juicy.  Too much watering can easily destroy the crop. 

So how do you know when to water and if it is enough?  Here is a simple tip to help the individual citrus grower obtain successful crop.  Drive a stake into the ground about 2-3 feet.  If the stake goes in easily, the soil is damp.  If the stake cannot be driven in easily and hardly moves, you’ll need more water.  Do not sprinkle, but flood with a slow hose or drip system as water splashing up into the leaves can cause fungus and other maladies.

Water drips from dew most likely. Watch how you water,
making sure to flood irrigate, not sprinkle citrus.

Oranges need very little pruning.  Just take out dead and crossed branches as needed. Feed them some fertilizer three times a year (a heavier nitrogen mix is best, such as Virgoro’s Fruit,Nut and Citrus 12-5-8 slow release fertilizer spikes) in February, May and August.

For your personal gardens, see ways you can decorate around trees, lawns, veggie gardens and floral pathways with quality, cost effective decor.