“Flies are not keen on some smells. bay leaves, lavender and cloves, are a good combination I found.” ~Granny Spear
When you live in the country flies are ever present. Living without a fridge means that even though they can’t get to the food in the safe they can smell it, and that means they come inside the house and buzz around annoying everyone.
Let me tell you about food safes: They are a sturdy wooden cupboard, with a very fine mesh door that allows the air to circulate. There were two shelves in ours, a marble one at the bottom, and a mesh one supported by a wooden frame in the middle. By making sure it’s in a shady spot in the scullery food stays cool and safe from flies.
Right, where was I? Yes, flies, okay. We used three methods of keeping flies away. First we set fly traps outside the house near the doors and windows. They are easy to make.
- Take a jam jar with a lid and punch some holes in the top, large enough for flies to get through.
- Wipe a little raw meat, such as bacon around the inside of the jar.
- Fill the jar about one third with apple cider vinegar and screw the lid on.