Chicken Coop Chatter©
We preserve fresh produce throughout the season, from the first pea off the vine to the final apple or pear before the frosts set in, but one thing that disrupts the process is those doggone fruit flies that seem to come in with the fruit and multiply by the gzillions. We have a tried and true remedy that works every time and takes a couple of minutes to prepare, to keep those pests under control and prevent propagating their offspring. And the bonus? You can use it as a weed killer (see note below).
1/4 Cup Vinegar (Apple cider or Wine vinegar works best)
2-3 drops Liquid Dish Soap (I use Dawn)
Square of cheese cloth
Toothpick
Mason Jar with metal ring
Pour the vinegar into the clean mason jar. Add a couple drops of the dish soap. Stir with the Toothpick. Lay the cheese cloth over the top of the jar and fasten with the metal jar ring. Poke holes into the cheese cloth to give the pests access to the inside, but not too large to give them an exit hole. See how easy that was? Now just set it away from the kitchen work area on a window sill and watch it do its work.
NOTE: When you dump out the vinegar solution be sure to pour onto the weeds in the driveway or those that are growing in the cracks of the bricks and stones. It will kill those weeds, because the vinegar alters the pH. Do NOT just pour out onto the lawn or in the flower beds; because it alters the pH of the plants it will kill the grass or your prized plants as well. So pour out only where there's no risk except to the unwanted weeds.
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