In the Aug/Sept issue of MaryJanesFarm, “The Experiment” (on newsstands July 14), we led you here to my daily journal for a chance to win a free sampling of products from our favorite apothecary, Mountain Rose Herbs. While I enjoy many of Mountain Rose Herbs’ bath, body, and kitchen products myself, I’m also glad to report that they’re one of my cows’ favorite suppliers, too. “What do herbs have to do with cows?” you may ask. Well, I make a non-toxic homemade fly spray for my herd using MRH essential oils.
I’m happy to share the recipe from my Milk Cow Kitchen book with you here:
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For biting flies, I use a non-toxic homemade fly spray that I dispense from a backpack sprayer every day for the four to eight weeks (in my locale) that biting flies are the worst. It takes me about 15 minutes to spray 12 head of cattle. I do it either while they’re eating or I spray my cows one by one when I bring them in to prep them for milking.
1 gal water
2 cups organic distilled white vinegar
2 T “green” dish soap
1 T essential oil (citronella, eucalyptus, tea tree, and lavender all work well)
For a few days’ supply, I fill my sprayer with water to the 1-gallon mark. To that, I add 2 cups organic distilled white vinegar, 2 T “green” dish soap (necessary surfactant), and 1 T citronella essential oil. I put the sprayer on, do a happy dance to shake things up, and then I spray my bovine friends—first along their backs and their behinds, then down their legs and under their bellies. When I need a change from the smell of the citronella oil, I switch to tea tree or eucalyptus oil, or my favorite: lavender. Essential oils are available organically grown from MountainRoseHerbs.com. If you have only one cow, you can use a small, hand-held sprayer that has a built-in mechanism for putting the liquid under pressure. Using the kind of sprayer you use to wash windows is time-consuming. And hard on your hands.
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For a chance to win a 4-oz jar of MRH organic citronella essential oil AND a 4-oz jar of MRH organic eucalyptus essential oil, just tell me what you liked best about Milk Cow Kitchen in the comments below. (If you haven’t picked up a copy of Milk Cow Kitchen yet, order your autographed copy here—and get a FREE “Have a Cow” bumper sticker.) We’ll toss your name in a hat and draw one lucky winner in mid-September, when the Aug/Sept issue expires on newsstands. Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways!
If you’re not yet a subscriber to MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for just $19.95 for one year.
This recipe sounds great. Flies area always the worst part of summer on a farm. Not to mention they carry diseases too. Nasty! I am thinking this would also work on my daughter’s goats too.
Let’s see, what did I like best about Milk Cow Kitchen. Since I don’t have a farm or a backyard cow, I love the section of the book with all the Farmstyle Recipes Using Dairy. It is packed with great ideas and inspiring photos. A few of my favorite recipes include White Chili, Easy Chees-y Macaroni, and Buttermilk Biscuits. Plus, I learned that when you make butter, the whey makes the most tender pancakes for breakfast.
I love the pictures of the cows doing what they love to do best! I like cows and when I visit a farm, if they have them, I head over to see & pet them! I can always see their different personalities. That is fascinating to me.
I really enjoy the beautiful pictures the best. Milk Cow Chicken is such a lovely book.
Beautiful photos and knowing how well cared for they are on your farm. Provides with a sense of all’s right in the world!
Love, love, love the beautiful pictures and delicious recipes!
My favorite, so far, in Milk Cow Kitchen are the cheese recipes. Trying to perfect them all!
I purchased for my Granddaughter, who works on a farm making cheese. She loves it! and shares it with the owners.
The natural way is the best way!
The photographs and recipes! There are no cows on our little bit of earth…just horses and a bunny. 🙂
I am planning to try the fly spray recipe on my horses. I am learning to make cheese.
Love the photos and recipes, such a great book 🙂
I adore Mary Jane’s magazine, I have been a subscriber for many, many years and love EvEry issue I receive! I opened my new issue today and saw this free sampling, Oh, How I love essential Oils! I have been using them for making potpourri with my dried flowers I save. I also adore Mountain Rose Herbs and have a link on my blog to them.
I do wish I win this faBuLoUs Offer!
Smiles, Cyndi
Well, I love everything about MaryJanesFarm magazine, and while I don’t have my own copy of Milk Cow Kitchen yet, I know I would love it because all MaryJanesFarm reminds me of the comforts of home, my wonderful grandmother (who introduced me to MaryJanesFarm mag) and taking the time to slow down to enjoy all the things that contain real and true beauty.
I really loved the layout of the book. Very easy to get to where you want to research. I also loved the fact that so many recipes I could substitute my goats milk for
I love that milk cow kitchen encourages everyone to live more sustainably…even if you can’t have a cow of your very own! The pictures and recipes are also the highlight of the book, and make it an enjoyable read for even the bovine impaired!
I love cows, and it sounds like you do too. Thanks for the recipe. Essential oils are the best.
I ❤ s.
I’m waiting on delivery of my book, but I can’t wait to read it. If its anything like MaryJanes Farm I know I will love it. I’ve been wanting to get a couple of dairy goats for some time now. I’ve been making my own yogurt, butter, ice cream, and sour cream already and am ready to try some cheese recipes
Recipes recipes recipes!
All my life I have been a farmgirl at heart. At 58 I have a flock of chickens, I garden flowers and veggies and still dream of having a small homestead. I love the Mary Jane magazine. keep up the good work with all your publications. Sherry Stine
I have not read the book (yet!) but I am anxious to read about cheese making!
I don’t yet have a copy of ” Milk Cow Kitchen” but someday I shall add it to my MJ book collection. Honestly I read the “life…” book nearly every night.I prop my computer on it in bed and then can never resist turning a few pages.
I am sucker for Jersey cows in particular having worked at a Jersey Dairy in Vermont more years ago than I care to admit. I’m betting the quality of the photography is superb like all the MJ books. And since my foray in goat farming didnt produce cheese ( but I did make a mean snapper ( as in the turtle) stroganof with the sour cream from my goats’ milk – ) maybe this book will inspire me to try cow dairy cheese.
I don’t yet have a copy of the book, but I love MaryJanesFarm and eagerly look forward to each issue. I gave my mom a gift subscription for Christmas and she loves it, too! Thanks for all the great info and fun articles .
I can’t wait to have our own cows. But until then I’m enjoying reading and re-reading Milk Cow Kitchen. It’s not just the recipes, which are awesome, but learning and growing with the help of all your advice.
The book is great for those of us who do not have farms but aspire to have one one day – look forward to using recipes and ideas that I find in the book and on your site when I DO have one.
I adore everything MaryJane!! I have turned so many of my friends, relatives, and clients on to the magazine, books, and awesome finds I have lost count! My husband is not a “farm life” kind of guy so, for the most part I get to live out my fantasies through the pages, projects, and recipes! I have a vision board that I add to weekly for my future clamping adventures a la MaryJane style! What do I love best about “Milk Cow”? The cow pictures and recipes of course!!!
Keep up the great work!!
PS I am secretly addicted to MaryJane’s Budget Mix!!!
Love the opportunity to experience the country life through your words and pics. Being a displaced country girl who lives on the beach, well…I don’t have to tell you how big a deal it is to be able to connect back to your roots, even only in spirit! Thank you
I loved the book Milk Cow Kitchen, as always with your products, the photos, writing and quality are excellent. The cow is such an amazing creature – a true gift from God. The milk they give us can be used for so many things and the recipes you share help teach us some of it’s magic. The decorations around the cow motif are great – I mean – black and white graphics….how can that not be fun?!
I have been enjoying the recipes and pictures.
Thank you,
Lauren
Love the whole thing, recipes, wisdom, insight, but the photos take me to a place where I grew up- and have the most di opus memories of a time and world long past
I LOVE the cow “fly recipe”!! It’s great! And NO pesticides!!
Enter me to win! Thanks!!!
The Cow Book is filled with such wonderful stuff, from photos to How Tos and Recipes. I loved the quick fruit icecreams and the cheese recipes. Working at a historical village nearby, I tried making cheeses with some success, but could not keep them from mold. These recipes are so clear and easy to follow, list the equipment and methods needed for success. Thanks, Mary Jane, for all you do encourage women!
I read Milk Cow Kitchen at a time when my family and I were cow-sitting and farm-sitting for my sister-in-law. Milk Cow Kitchen made me ache all the more for a farm and animals of my own. Reading it now brings back the memory of the smells of hay, manure, apples and woodsmoke. Heaven!
This is a great organic recipe. I have start to turn my live around by paying attention to ingredients in what I buy and have started making all my own cleaning supplies and soap. I have started buying a few essential oils as I can afford. This Milk Cow Kitchen recipe is so easy and I think I could use it on horses and maybe even on myself since flies like me as well. Thank you for the wonderful site and information.
Hello Mary Jane!I just discovered Your magazine in our local library, Crested Butte Colorado. How inspiring, at the age of 24 this is the vein of life that makes my heart flitter, thank You. I am intrigued by Your book Milk Cow Kitchen, for cheese is one of my favorites! Keep on with Your life’s love and perhaps You can share with me how You were provided with such a blessed path… and I Love Mountain Rose Herbs!
I haven’t received or read a copy of the book. It is on my want list. Money is tight, so I have to wait until I can purchase it. I would like to still be in the drawing for a chance to win some samples.
I love to cook almost more than I love to grow things! Gotta be the recipes!
I don’t own a copy of Milk Cow Kitchen, but I’m sure it has to be as great as anything from Mary Jane Butters. Love the farm life!
I love the cows, of course! The photographs are beautiful and make me dream of having my own cows some day. And, the recipes are just great. Without a cow, I am planning on making the fly spray for a friend who has horses.
Your book helped me realize that my husband and I can make our dreams come true. You are such an inspiration to me. Thank you.
The photos are not only beautiful, but inspirational and I absolutely love the recipes. Clotted cream, anyone?
Love the recipes!
Absolutely love the fantastic photographs and love the unique recipes! Thank you for such a great find. (Love, love my cows)
I have goats and am looking forward to making this fly spray for my goats. I saw your book in the Floyd Country Store in Floyd,VA. I am planning to buy it but am trying to spend my money wisely so for now it is on my wish list. Maybe for Christmas!
I loved how the book contained information about not just what to do with the milk, but how to set up and care for a cow.
I love love love this book, I ordered it from our little independent book store, I like to give local folks business too, so I missed out on the bumper sticker, but that is ok because, I just can’t stop looking at the pictures. There are lots of cows where I live in fact when I take my dog for a walk they come close to the fence and walk along with us, my dog gets a little nervous but I just laugh. The recipes look yummy and I will be trying the Gluten Free Muffin-tin Meatloaf, today!
Without a doubt the cheese recipes! I have wanted to try cheese making for some time, but have been intimidated- until now. This book is another keeper.
We have beef cattle and I am always telling my husband we need to do something for fly control, but there is so many dangerous chemicals in the insecticides that are commercial and you also have to tag both ears, which I am sure is pretty painful for the cows. So this would be a perfect natural approach to pest control.
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