Catnip is growing crazy again in the garden this year. I’ve been harvesting huge piles of it and as it dries on the table, the cats are lying on it all day long while I’m at work. When I come home they stagger drunkenly to the door to greet me, sniffing my pantslegs and licking my fingers to see if I’ve brought them more. Here are pictures of a young catnip plant in the garden, a catnip-stuffed toy I sewed for my son’s cat last winter, and one of my very happy kitties.
My Own Little Allotment 
The catnip toy is gorgeous! So much cuter than the standard ones from pet shops! Did you air dry your catnip for the toy or use a dehydrator?
LikeLike
Thanks so much, Nat! I used little scraps of wool and felt, and embroidery thread, to sew the mouse. It took days! My son’s cat is a feral calico that he coaxed indoors over time. I think she probably tore it up or ate it entirely, pretty quickly, but that’s okay. I had such a good time making it for her. I air dry my herbs the lazy way, by just strewing them around wherever I can make enough room in the house. Then when they are crispy dry, I put them into paper grocery bags still on the stems and wait until a boring winter evening to strip the leaves from the stems, and jar those up. It can be time consuming (and hard on your hands) to strip the leaves from dry herbs. The smell is terrific, though. I like to use the dried naked stems for kindling if possible; occasionally I make a ceremonial fire, usually when someone close to me dies. So I try to save a box of dried herb stems for that purpose.
LikeLike