Every year my mom and I make Apricot Fruit Leather. It’s so good and super healthy. Since I posted it last year, someone asked if other fruit could be used. My mom remembers trying other flavors in the past, but always had the best success with apricots. So I decided to take up the challenge of trying some other flavors out. This week it was Strawberries and it turned out great.
I used the exact same recipe from Apricot Leather for the Strawberry. 2 cups strawberries, 2 T. honey, 1 T. lemon juice. Blend, spread, and dry.
I’ve heard you can dry your leather in the oven at a very low temp, but I love to do it in the sun. I use these old drying racks, but you can use almost anything, as long as the top is covered with holes to let in sun and air, but keep out bugs and dirt. The Strawberry leather took a little bit longer to dry, an extra day, but still delicious. And I don’t even notice the little seeds.
Since Strawberry Leather was such a success, I’m on to peach and possibly plum. I will have to take off the skins of those ones and that may make it a little too time consuming to be worth it, well see. What fruit have you tried to dry before?
 |
| Coleus Canina is also known as the "Pee-off plant" or the "Scaredy Cat" coleus |
This attractive Coleus has excellent foliage and small, attractive spikes of blue flowers in the summer. It releases a stench that cats just can’t stand. Thankfully it only smells to the human nose when touched! Could this be the solution to your feline intruder problems you’ve been longing for? The plant is an annual, but can easily be propagated and cuttings kept in a frost-free place over winter. Plants need to be established before the smell is released. They need to be in drier rather than wet soil and planted every 1-2 yards.
You could also try using the herb rue. The blue leaves are a lovely garden accent, but cats seem to hate the odor.
Cats are not keen on the smell of citrus either. So you could try using orange or lemon peel in your yard as a deterrent. Similarly some folks advocate coffee grounds, blood meal, cayenne pepper, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil.
You can also...So many gardeners stick with protecting particular plants or beds by pouring vinegar, or placing orange peels or moth balls in a vented jar (where cats can't get directly at them) near the base.
Also...Plants Cats Don't Like
There are a number of plants cats are known to dislike. These include geraniums, marigolds, petunias, lavender and coleus canina which will emit a foul smell if the cat was to brush up against it.
The moth balls are a controversy because if the cats eat them, they could die. So they would have to be put in a jar with holes in the lid. I think planting cute flowers, as listed above, is the best bet! Hope this helps all you gardeners!
