Garlic Spray for Pests

[Xiao Rong]

Okay ... I have to share this recipe under "Potions" because it is freaking magical!! (although probably not news to anybody who has a garden). Recently I'd been having a problem with ants in the kitchen; they were swarming all over the sink and it was really nasty! I put down the ant traps you buy in stores, but it didn't work. I'd also tried some deterrents like cayenne pepper and vinegar, but they didn't take either. I came across something that said that garlic deters ants by messing up their sense of smell, so I put out some sliced garlic cloves (garlic - good for more than vampires!). As soon as I put them down, I could tell that the ants hated it - it was like they were little invisible force fields that the ants had to run away from. I was really excited, but after a day the garlic dried up and the ants were back. Then I tried super minced garlic through a garlic press - also really effective, but the ants were back within the day.

So on Sunday, I tried to "weaponize" the garlic and make a garlic spray that would be easier to apply. I was worried that it wouldn't be quite as strong as minced garlic, but IT TOTALLY WORKED! It doesn't last quite a full day, but it's far quicker to spritz my kitchen twice a day than trying to peel and mince garlic cloves and set them up and clean them up after the ants come back ...

I am told that this will also work great on your garden to deter common pests like aphids without artificial chemicals or anything like that. Organic, natural solution that is food-safe! (which is kinda important for my kitchen)

Word of warning - it is quite pungent smelling, which is fine by me because I love the smell of garlic (well, not when it's on someone's breath, but I don't mind it otherwise), but for those of you who are more sensitive, it is a smelly solution ; )

Garlic Spray

You will need:
- 1 head of garlic
- 2 cups water
- a spray bottle
- a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth
- food processor

1. Split the head of garlic into separate cloves. You don't need to peel the cloves. Toss it in the food processor with 1/2 c. water, puree until completely smooth.

2. Pour garlic puree mixture through your strainer into the spray bottle.* (this is important so that the garlic pulp doesn't clog the spray bottle nozzle)

3. Add the rest of the water, and shake up your spray bottle.

4. Spray liberally to get rid of the ants!!

OPTIONAL: A few drops of dishwater soap or some red pepper flakes can also add to your bug-repelling properties.

* I actually repeated this process a few times - strained as much liquid as I could into the spray bottle, then returned the garlic pulp to the food processor with a little more water and processed it again. After a while I had very little pulp left and a lot of garlic juice.

Other notes:
- If you are growing garlic, you can substitute the garlic leaves/scapes for this same purpose instead of using cloves, since it's only about the smell anyways.
- My garlic spray is turning a little bit blue-green, because garlic sometimes does that when you crush or mince it, but it is totally safe and normal.