Catnip isn't just for cats! How to make bug repellant!

August 25th, 2010 Posted by Rachel. Published under Bike Tour Preparations, DIY Sustainable Living, Holistic Care, How to.... 3 Comments.

Countless summers spent in the northern woods of Wisconsin and Minnesota at summer camp taught me quite a few things.  Two of those things are that I 1. Hate sand and 2. Hate bug spray.

I love camping very much though, I think it’s in my blood!  My parents tell me that on one trip before I was even a year old over July 4, we woke up to a fresh coat of snow.  Needless to say, they got me hooked.  Mosquitoes, though, I could do without, naturally.

Stemming the leaves...

Now, no pun intended there, but when I complained last week to Jessica about how I’d rather fight them alone than spray myself with DEET, she took it upon herself to research natural options.  It didn’t surprise me that she had search for an option since she found a deodorant alternative.

What she found was a recipe for catnip tea, which is supposed to work just as good, if not better than DEET. It turns out that since my poor kitty is no longer for this world, I had been looking for a use for my catnip plant.

I brewed a batch following this recipe (but I cut it in half because I didn’t have enough leaves). We’re going to try it out next week on our vacation to Assateague Island. We’ll let you know how it goes.

CATNIP MOSQUITO SPRITZ

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

* 2 cups catnip, stemmed

* 3-4 cups mild rice vinegar (I used plain white vinegar instead.  Rice vinegar has sticky sugar in it.)

Rinse herbs, roll lightly with a rolling pin, then place them in a clean quart jar and cover with vinegar. Seal jar and store in a dark cupboard for two weeks.  (I boiled the vinegar first to jump start the process.  It also cleaned out my electric teapot at the same time!)

Shake jar lightly every day or so for two weeks. Strain into a clean jar, seal and refrigerate for up to 6 months unused.

To use, spritz on exposed skin and around outdoor dining area.

I also mentioned to Jessica that I have left over catnip spray from the days of being a cat owner.  I have to dig it out, but depending on the ingredients, we might give that a try as well.  I’ll try anything if it means skipping the foul smelling sticky layers of commercial bug spray while camping, biking and hiking next week!