By Steven Foster – When I was 20 years old I worked in the herb department of the Sabbathday Lake Maine Shaker Community, the last active village of this 200+ year old iconic religious movement. One of my tasks was purchasing bulk herbs over and above what we could produce in our own gardens. It was in that context that I became aware of the fact that all things are not what they seem to be (or are at least not what they are offered to be).
Take catnip as an example. The catnip we produced in our own gardens had the strong distinct catnip fragrance that attracts felines. The plant’s essential oil contains a compound called nepetalactone (among others), which produce the familiar “catnip response” in felines. It basically induces a chemical cross-reactivity with male cat pheromones associated with courtship behavior.
The catnip response is characterized by sniffing, licking, chewing, head shaking, chin and cheek rubbing, and head-over rolling. The catnip response is not induced by merely chewing the leaves, rather it requires scent induction, which means leaves must be crushed, bruised or broken to release the volatile essential oil from the leaves’ oils glands.
One year on a hot summer day, after harvesting catnip, the farm manager and I went to visit a neighboring farm. They had 20 or more cats, and soon after I got out of the car, walking toward the front door, a small herd of cats started making their way toward me. After two cats jumped up on my legs, I quickly retreated to the car and rolled up the windows. I knew I had quality catnip.
That year, we ran out of catnip. I had to buy it from commercial suppliers. A barrel of dried catnip arrived. I pried open the lid but the contents smelled like hay and dust. There were none of the sticky dried flower heads that I was accustomed to recognize as catnip.
After talking with a commercial catnip grower (yes, there are such farmers), I learned that most of what was being sold as catnip in the botanical trade was leftover stubble from catnip seed production operations. Any self-respecting feline would lift their nose in smug rejection, turn and walk away.
If you have cats and they like catnip, grow your own. There’s nothing like fresh produce, be it tomatoes or catnip.