News Stories - Page 434

Leyland Cypress trees growing on a Christmas Tree Farm in Nicholson, GA. 7 G's Tree Farm. 
11-11-09 CAES News
Cut your own Christmas tree
Many Georgians remember hiking into nearby woods as children to chop down that most iconic of all holiday decorations: the family Christmas tree. These days, a suitable one is less likely found in the backyard. But the experience can still be found, along with that perfect tree, among the acreage at a choose-and-cut tree farm.
Calceolaria, or pocketbook plant, gets its name from the shape of its flowers. While it grows wild in Chile, the best place to find it in the U.S. is in a florist's shop. CAES News
Plants liven up the holidays
UGA horticulturist Paul Thomas likes to give flowering plants as gifts. A deep basket filled with a few pots of colored calla lilies or a basket with a cluster of cyclamen topped with white or silver grass “makes a stunning gift,” he said.
Pecans lie on the ground beneath a pecan tree on the University of Georgia campus in Griffin, Ga.  Photo taken November 2009. CAES News
Chinese develop taste for U.S. pecans
As the holiday season approaches, many American home bakers will be looking for Georgia pecans to add to pies, casseroles or cookies. They won’t be the only ones. Chinese consumers will be buying, too.
CAES News
Read the fine print on gift cards first
When it comes to buying a gift for that hard-to-please person on your shopping list, gift cards may be the perfect solution. They are convenient and popular, and many people view them as the next best thing to cash. A University of Georgia expert warns, unlike cash, gift cards can expire and lose their value.
This is a ornamental pepper plant, pulled off of Bugwood 11/12/09. CAES News
Holiday plants best for looking pretty, not eating
University of Georgia horticulturalist Paul Thomas can’t think of any common gift plants that are necessarily poisonous -- most of the poisonous plants are those cut for Christmas decorations. He can, however, think of one that will light a child’s or pet’s mouth on fire.
Pictured breaking ground at the UGA Tifton Campus AgrAbility Farm are (from left) Bennie Branch (KMC-Tifton), Karen Milchus (Georgia Tech), Charles Griffin (Ga. Pork Producers Association), Laura Jolly (UGA Family and Consumer Sciences dean), Don Mcgough (Ga. Farm Bureau), Joe West (UGA dean in Tifton) and Glen Rains (AgrAbility Georgia director, UGA Tifton). CAES News
Farm breaks new ground to help disabled Georgia farmers
Farmers with physical disabilities are often a little too self-reliant to ask for help or don't know where to find it. But help is out there. Soon, they’ll have an entire farm dedicated to equipment and training especially designed to help them farm more comfortably.
Photo of cooked turkey on a dinner table. CAES News
Holiday dinners are more than turkey
Thoughts of Thanksgiving dinner most often turn to turkey. “Last year’s bird was so dry. Perhaps we should try frying it this year.” But, there’s more to a memorable holiday meal than just the meat in the middle. Many family traditions are found in the trimmings.
An early-maturing pecan variety called Pawnee is harvested in an orchard in Crisp County, Georgia. CAES News
Soggy summer dampens Georgia pecan harvest
A pecan-loving disease enjoyed Georgia’s wet summer weather and is now blamed for cutting what was expected to be a large crop, says a University of Georgia pecan specialist. But farmers still expect to have an “on” year.
CAES News
How much is too much to gain when eating for two?
A pregnant woman must eat and drink more than normal to ensure the proper growth and development of her baby. The amount of weight to gain during pregnancy depends on body weight before pregnancy.