If you typically find yourself with more hot peppers and garlic than you can use at the end of the season, we have a suggestion: use them to make some 100% organic insecticide for next year. The juices of both vegetables work well against most insect pests, and together they’re dynamite.

Here’s all you have to do: put one garlic clove and one hot pepper (the hotter the better) in a blender with a quart of water, and blend thoroughly. Strain the resulting mash through cheesecloth and keep the liquid; be sure you wear gloves while you do this. Then add a dash of liquid soap (so it’ll stick) and transfer the liquid to a spray bottle.

This insecticide works equally well on houseplants and garden plants, and will remain effective for a couple of weeks (or until it rains). You can easily scale up the recipe and store it for later use. Or, if you want to save space, dry the peppers and garlic, and make the insecticide as needed.

If you want an extremely potent form of this insecticide for outdoor use only, then pour your garlic/pepper blend into a pot and let it simmer on the stove for 15 minutes. Then store it in a glass jar and let it sit for six weeks before straining it. Be sure to test it on a leaf or two before spraying it on the entire plant; it’s so strong some plants may react negatively.

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