Natural Insecticidal Garden Spray

Needless to say, I was not a happy camper when I went out to survey my little organic garden beds one morning and discovered that something had turned them into a mess of patchy lacework.  My kale, kohlrabi and brussels sprouts appeared to be the hardest hit and after closer inspection, I determined that the culprit was some little caterpillars.  Although I was angry enough after all of the hard work I put into getting my garden up to douse the little buggers with something really nasty, I took a few moments to calmly reflect on my original intent - that being a healthy source of chemical and GMO-free veggies for myself and my family.  And spraying nasty junk on the greedy little bugs, no matter how satisfying it might have been, would have destroyed my intent in one fell swoop.  So - I set to work on some non-toxic (to humans) methods that would get rid of the pests without poisoning my family or the environment.

Here is the first spray recipe that I've tried and I have to say that it seems to be working fairly well.  I happened to have these essential oils on hand thanks to some other natural projects of mine, so I was able to make this mixture quickly without having to go out and buy anything, but these oils are fairly common and can easily be found in most health food stores or online.

Recipe:

• 28 Oz Bottle (Reused an Empty Method Spray Bottle)
• 1 TB Bronner's Liquid Soap (Any biodegradable vegetable soap will do) - Tip: don't use any with tea tree oil it will burn the leaves of your plants.
• 10 Drops Orange Essential Oil (Lemongrass would also work)
• 20 Drops Neem Oil
• 5-6 Whole Cloves (Just put them in the bottom of the container)
• 10 Drops Cinnamon Leaf Oil

Fill to the top of the container with water.

Spray tops and underside of leaves. Repeat every few days and after watering/rain (I try to water at the bottom of the plant near the root so as to avoid washing off my spray). This mixture will help take care of many common pests such as aphids, mites, white flies, mealy bugs as well as nasty little caterpillars. I've also discovered that roaches and ants don't care for it either.  I can attest to it killing the caterpillars, although as with any treatment, you will have to be diligent in keeping up with spraying to avoid re-infestation.  You will also want to make sure you thoroughly wash your veggies before consuming.  Nothing in this mix is toxic, but it will probably taste really disgusting and could cause some digestive upset.

Note: I have read that Neem can be toxic to bees and some other beneficial insects, so if you're using this spray on or near any plants require pollination, I would leave out the Neem oil.

I'm really not a mean person, so I did feel a little bad torturing these caterpillars in this manner, but with the rate of destruction in my garden I decided I had no choice.  Here is a video of me testing out my spray.  As you can see, it's not only effective, but works fairly quickly... I guess I feel a little better knowing that they didn't suffer too long.

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Fiesta Quinoa Salad

• 1.5 Cups Quinoa (Uncooked - will yield about 4-5 cups cooked)
• 1 14 Oz Can Organic Black Beans
• 3 Ears White Corn, raw, cut the kernels off the cob
• 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes Quartered
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper, Chopped
• 2 Avocados, firm, chopped

Dressing:

In a blender combine:

• 2 Chipotle peppers (canned in adobe sauce - I used Goya brand) - I also grabbed about 1 TB of the onions and sauce
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Himalayan Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Cumin
• 1/8 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 Large Clove of Garlic
• 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/4 C Agave Nectar 

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions and then allow to cool. Add in the beans and veggies, pour the dressing in and combine until mixture is evenly coated with dressing.


Note: The dressing has a bit of heat to it- add in an extra chili pepper for more heat or use just one for less.

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Want to take an 8-pack to the beach this summer? This will help...

WARM-UP:

Walk/Jog 5-10 minutes

Dynamic stretch 3-5 minutes

WORKOUT:

Jumping Jacks - 2 minutes

10 Burpees

5 Mountain-Climber Burpees (Jump back to plank, alternate knees to chest for 8 count, jump back to standing)

15 High boat/Low boat (Boat/Banana)

5 Burpees with Tuck Jump 

High Knees Run - 1 Minute

10 Pushup to Side-Arm/forearm Balance with optional leg raise and knee to elbow crunch

30 Single-Leg Tricep Dips (use glutes to press hips upward, extending raised leg high into the air, switch legs at the halfway point)

Plank - hold for 1-2 minutes with optional alternate arm/leg extension and crunch.
20 Bicycle Twist Crunches

COOL-DOWN/STRETCH:

Walk/Jog for 2-3 minutes 

Static stretching 5 minutes

If you're a Newbie:  1 round of workout section

If you're not a Newbie but not quite a Badass: 2 rounds of workout 

Badass Version:  3-4 Rounds of workout or repeat until you collapse

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