Distillation

Creative Co-distillations

 in Aromatherapy / Distillation / Gardening / Healing Herbs / Markets / Products by

This warm weather has been such a gift to gardens.  I’m not used to such a long growing season and it has allowed me to harvest and process so much more than usual.  The shelves are full with many infused oils, dried herbs and family medicines; many are available at the Almonte Farmer’s Market and If you are looking for something particular please feel free to contact me via email.  The seasonal abundance has given me the opportunity to be creative with the co-distillations for hydrosols.  Last week I distilled a version of the the 4 Thieves blend, based on folklore that thieves who robbed the dead during the black plague protected themselves with these 4 essential oils. To make my new “5 Thieves” hydrosol,  I added lemon balm (anti-viral, and aromatically pleasant) to the traditional recipe of sage, rosemary, thyme and oregano to create a room spray to steal away the germs in the air.  The hydrosol is safer than the very concentrated essential oils, yet very effective.

tulsi and spearmint distillation

tulsi and spearmint in the 5 ltr bubble

Today’s co-distillation will be spearmint and tulsi!  I was sure of it as soon as the harvesting began.  The two plants will compliment each other and become a cooling and uplifting mist, perfect for waking up or after meals.  This one will be a bit astringent for the skin and so may be good for acne or a midday freshen up.  The oil content halfway through this distillation is higher than normal and that is due to the summer’s heat and the lack of rainfall (I have not been watering the mint!).  The oil will be nice in a diffuser this winter.

3 levels of separation

3 levels of separation. Oil and Water do not mix.

Back in stock: unique aromatic co-distillations and in New cobalt blue glass spray bottles

 in Aromatherapy / Distillation / Healing Herbs / Markets / Products by

New glass co-distillations

We now have several fresh hydrosol co- distillations back in stock!!

And we are introducing our new glass spray bottles.  The prices will remain the same for the 2 ounce with sprayer!  That is $7!! But if you return the bottle to me then you get the next hydrosol for ONLY $6!!

Better for you, better for the environment!

 

 

 

Yoga Mat Spray and a little info about Hydrosols

 in Biodiversity / Distillation / Healing Herbs / Markets / Wild Harvest by

June 9th at the Almonte Farmers market I will have a new hydrosol.  Yoga Mat Spray is a co-distillation of  wild harvested Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus )and our own organically grown Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorus).    As with all my hydrosol blends there are no added anythings……no added essential oils,  alcohol,  or stabilizers.  True hydrosols are a unique product obtained through the steam distillation of various leaves, flowers, barks, needles and roots and naturally contain all the water-soluble constituents of the plants including 0.05 – 0.2 per litre of essential oils (see “Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy” by Suzanne Catty).  This makes them one of the safest forms of aromatherapy and herbal medicine.

This Yoga Mat Spray  combination is antiseptic, antifungal, and antimicrobial –  Spray on and let dry or spray on and wipe off.  Depending on your own particular mat’s specific cleaning and maintenance instructions you could even add one drop of plain organic dish soap to give a little bit of extra wash.

Of course you may have figured out that the Yoga Mat Spray can be used many places, on many surfaces, and for many other uses!!

Here you can see the cluster of White Pine that this batch of hydrosol came from

Eastern White Pine

Eastern White Pine growing near me.

Pine and Thyme co-distillation

Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus )and Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorus)

Arnica Montana

Arnica Montana just waiting to burst with the first rays of a full sunny day!

Tulsi / Holy Basil

Tulsi / Holy Basil or
Ocimum tenuiflorum (synonym Ocimum sanctum) These little babies will be for sale this weekend!

Almonte Winter Market

 in Aromatherapy / Distillation / Markets / Products by

I’m preparing for the Almonte Farmer’s Market annual Winter Market on Saturday December 9th at the Almonte Community Center. I really love these markets because I get to meet the local people and talk about what I do. So many people give me great feedback about my products, and hearing people’s stories gives me a lot of good ideas for new blends and preparations. Thanks to everyone who I’ve met so far this year, and I look forward to talking to everyone on December 9th!

Almonte Harvest Market

My table at the Almonte Harvest Market, October 28, 2017

2017-10-26 Spruce Distillation

 in Aromatherapy / Distillation / Markets / Products / Wild Harvest by

When we lived in Sweden we regularly distilled Norway Spruce (Picea abies). Since we moved to Canada, we have been learning about the native conifers in our region of Ontario. Right outside our home we find Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea), White Spruce (Picea glauca), and Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis).
Another resident of our forest neighbourhood is our old friend Norway Spruce, and today we distilled our first batch in North America. The hydrosol is quite lovely, and I will have some available at tomorrow’s Almonte Farmer’s Market Harvest Market. I hope to see you there!

Norway Spruce (Picea abies)

Spruce Distillation