Paralyzing Pest Salsa

Paralyze pests with salsa that's only a little stronger than you might eat on your chips. The creator of this formula, Santa Barbara gardener and author Kathleen Yeomans, uses it to control pests ranging from ants to black widow spiders. "This is my favorite all-purpose insect spray," Kathleen says. According to Kathleen, the spray will make ants pass out cold, and it has actually killed a black widow spider.

Ingredients and Supplies

2 pounds ripe, blemished tomatoes

1 large onion

1 pound fresh chili peppers

2 cloves garlic

Food processor or blender

1 cup vinegar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cheesecloth or coffee filter

Pump spray bottle

Directions

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes, onion, peppers, and garlic.

2. Place the chopped vegetables in a food processor or blender and blend until liquefied.

3. Add vinegar and pepper to the mixture.

4. Strain the mixture through several layers of cheesecloth or a disposable coffee filter.

5. Pour the strained liquid into the pump spray bottle.

6. Spray the liquid directly on pests that you spot in your garden.

Yield: About 3 cups of insect-knockout salsa

Note: Crushed garlic contains allicin, the smelly compound that confounds the sensory receptors of insects in search of a tasty plant feast. Hot peppers are loaded with fiery capsaicin, which gives a chemical burn to marauding mammals and some solt-bodied insects. Onions help give the salsa an extra aromatic kick, and the sulfur in them may suppress some fungal diseases. Many pests avoid tomatoes, so the unmistakable tomato odor signals them to look elsewhere.

Caution: This salsa can be highly irritating if it gets in your eyes or mouth, so spray it only on a windless day.