In the process of distillation a plant substance is cut into pieces and heated with fresh spring water until the water boils, then the hot vapors are captured and cooled. The condensed vapors are collected, in oil form, and there you get the essense of the plant. The smells are heavenly. The leftover water can also be used for spritzing, cooking, drinking. It is called a hydrosol, and it too is alive with magic .
In my research I found that people have applied the principles of distillation for thousands of years. Distillation was probably first used by ancient Arab chemists to isolate perfumes. Vessels with a trough on the rim to collect distillate date back to 3500 BC.
My friend is doing modern day distillation in her backyard with copper equipment (some people use glass). The girls and I recently got to see this firsthand on a batch of pomelos. Pomelo is a cirtus fruit, similar to grapefruit.
The oil floats on the top. Sometimes the layer is very thin, like this one. Sometimes the layer is several inches! There is a lot of care once the process really gets cooking, like taking care of a tiny baby. My friend is putting so much love into her work. I want to learn to do this!
3 comments:
Lovely new banner! I'm also interested in distillation and essential oils. A friend started a little business in Africa, distilling geranium essential oil, and it really seems like something "doable", once you have the equipment and the materials. I'd love to try distilling my lavender oil!
How neat!
What a beautiful copper distillery that is! I can only imagine how wonderful those pure oils must smell. And what an enormous pomelo that is! Oh how I'm longing for fresh fruit in the heart of winter!
Post a Comment