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 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. Oil and Water do not mix.