Author Archives: maryjane

gallinipper

Posted on August 20, 2014 by maryjane

Listen …

Photo by Hakan Dahlstrom via Wikimedia Commons

You can run, but you can’t hide!

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Photo by Steve Povey via Wikimedia Commons

The gallinippers are out for blood!

Yup, gallinippers.

They’re not vile villains from a scary sci-fi movie (although they do fit the bill).

Image from Bill Nye’s History of the United States (1894) via Wikimedia Commons

Gallinippers, as some of you may know, are mosquitoes.

Specifically, BIG ones.

Photo by Edibobb via Wikimedia Commons

Gallinipper (GAL-uh-nip-er): any of various insects that sting or bite, especially a large American mosquito, Psorophora ciliata (shown in the photo above).

Eeeks!

So, have you been lucky (or sly) enough to avoid these annoying and potentially dangerous pests this year?

If not, Erin McIntosh of Mountain Rose Herbs is here to help. Check out her recipes for non-toxic DIY repellants and bite-soothing spray.

Natural Bug Repellents for Summer Fun

The first recipe is a flower-water-based spray and the second recipe uses oil for a longer-lasting solution. Both contain catnip ingredients, since the essential oil found in catnip can actually be just as effective as commercial chemical repellents, without the nasty side effects from toxins like DEET. If you have fresh catnip growing in the garden, you can use a high alcohol tincture instead of the hydrosol. Pure grain alcohol (95%) will totally dehydrate the catnip, extracting the oils in about a week. I’ve also included my astringent spray recipe that can be used on bites to help stop itch and swelling.

Summer Repellent Spray

8 oz organic Catnip Hydrosol
20 drops organic Cedarwood Essential Oil
20 drops organic Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops organic Lemongrass Essential Oil
10 drops organic Lemon Essential Oil

Slowly drip each essential oil into the hydrosol, counting with care as you go. Mix all ingredients in the bottle by shaking vigorously. Shake well before each use and reapply as often as needed.

Summer Repellent Oil

8 oz organic Jojoba Oil or Almond Oil or Sunflower Oil
20 drops organic Lavender Essential Oil
15 drops organic Catnip Essential Oil
10 drops organic Eucalyptus Essential Oil
5 drops organic Rosemary Essential Oil

Slowly drip each essential oil into the oil, counting with care as you go. Mix all ingredients in the bottle by rolling the bottle between the palms of your hands. Shake before each use and reapply as often as needed.

Astringent Relief Spray

This spray will help ease the itchiness and pain of bug bites. Plantain is a classic herbal remedy for itchy bug bites, while green tea is also super astringent. The cooling nature of peppermint adds a comforting sensation.

4 oz organic Peppermint Hydrosol
2 oz organic Green Tea, brewed
2 oz organic Plantain Tincture
3 drops organic Peppermint Essential Oil

Pour all ingredients into a glass spray bottle. Shake well before each use and store in the cooler for an extra refreshing chill.

Smudge Them Away!

Another good tip to know is that most bugs really hate aromatic smoke, but people love the nice smelling aroma! Instead of burning those chemical-soaked repellent candles, try burning a bundle of organic mugwort or white sage to smudge the area. You can also use the essential oil recipe blends above in a diffuser for an extra bug-away boost.

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Posted on August 19, 2014 by maryjane

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Posted on August 18, 2014 by maryjane

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Posted on August 17, 2014 by maryjane

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Nature Sound Track

Posted on August 17, 2014 by maryjane

If you were to step outside right now and close your eyes, what would you hear? I might hear the whispering rush of wind through pine needles (my daughter’s most favorite sound on earth); happy hens clucking to one another; a songbird; or later tonight, the sound of bellowing frogs in my pond.

chickens_4802 Few of us would hear exactly the same “soundscape,” but rarely do we think about how sounds characterize the surroundings we call home. How fun would it be to eavesdrop on one another’s auditory environments? And imagine if we could listen our way all the way around the world!

Photo by Petar Milošević via Wikimedia Commons

We could call it “traveling by ear.”

Photo by Jen Smith via Wikimedia Commons

Hold on to your hoops and dangles, girls, because we can do just that. A group of 35 professional nature recordists (who knew there was such a profession?) from around the globe have collaborated to develop Nature Soundmap, an interactive way of exploring the natural sounds of our planet. “Combining high-quality field recordings with the latest satellite imagery, the project brings together some of nature’s most beautiful, interesting and inspiring sounds,” the team explains on the Nature Soundmap website. “Immerse yourself in a pulsating insect chorus in Borneo’s tropical rainforest, or climb the Himalayas and relax to the melodies of birdsong in an alpine meadow.”

Photo by Frameme via Wikimedia Commons

In effect, the entire world is at our ears. Many recordings in the site’s collection are “binaural,” meaning they’re stereo recordings made with two microphones capturing sound in 360 degrees, a technique that accurately imitates the natural experience you would hear with your own ears. So, where does an auditory traveler embark? Visit NatureSoundMap.com (no fees or membership required) and click on “Main Map.” You’ll see hundreds of little green place markers across the map. To move to a specific region, click on the map and drag it to the desired location. You can then scroll in to see specific markers. Click on one, and a box will appear, describing the soundscape of a particular place. Click “listen,” and get lost in the sounds of faraway places courtesy Mother Nature.

Photo by Moqureshi via Wikimedia Commons

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Posted on August 16, 2014 by maryjane

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Milk Cow Kitchen Tea Towel

Posted on August 16, 2014 by maryjane

Stitchers, are you ready? Enjoy this tutorial for jazzing up your kitchen using my new Milk Cow Kitchen fabric by Moda available at the FatQuarterShop.com and MaryJanesFarm.org

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Posted on August 15, 2014 by maryjane

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Hear Ye!

Posted on August 15, 2014 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Valdeane Odachi!!!

Valdeane Odachi (#4860) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Recycling Merit Badge!

“In our home, I have established several receptacles to make recycling easy. I have three stacking bins to separate HI-5 glass, plastic, and aluminum cans. I have a special newspaper bin for the daily paper (we often use these to build fires, though) and a separate trash can (next to our kitchen trash can) that we use for miscellaneous recyclables that we can take to our transfer station for recycling. I also have an old one-gallon bottle that we use to store old batteries. We also have a small cardboard box lined with a plastic bag to hold the ink cartridges that I take to Office Max for recycling.

At our local rubbish transfer station, we can recycle the following: glass and “mixed bin” recycling where the following are accepted: newspaper, copy paper, corrugated cardboard, plastic shopping bags, aluminum, tin, non-HI-5 glass, boxboard and plastics numbered 1, 2 and 5. (I didn’t know about every single thing until I had to earn/apply for this badge!) I wasn’t aware of the shopping bag recycling!

HI-5 (5-cent redemption) glass and plastic can be redeemed at approved stations. Most of these are located approximately 20 miles from us.

Vehicle oil can be recycled approximately 20 miles from us at the Toyota dealership. (I didn’t know this either!)

Cooking oil can be disposed of (no more than 1 gallon) with regular household trash if disposed of fully absorbed by newspaper or other material. If more than that, several companies offer disposal locally. (I will be inquiring via phone of their services, though I looked up the info online.)

Our family has been recycling for a while now, but this activity made me more aware of the areas that I need improvement in and what areas are working well. Also, this badge helped me learn about more resources available in my area!

Redeeming the 5-cent refund for cans and bottles always poses a problem, as it takes so long to build up an adequate amount to redeem. We would hate to take trips just to redeem a few cans! But keeping the cans and bottles around creates such a mess.

Batteries face a similar problem, but they take up much less real estate in the house since it’s just one gallon bottle. At least we have a designated spot that everyone in the family knows about and uses.

Overall, I believe we’ve made (and continue to make) strides toward recycling. I actually hope to decrease the amount of plastic waste we BRING IN to our home… that will mean less to take out!”

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Posted on August 14, 2014 by maryjane

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Author Archives: maryjane

Natural Bug Repellents for Summer Fun

Summer Repellent Spray

Summer Repellent Oil

Astringent Relief Spray

Smudge Them Away!

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