Make theraputic, cosmetic and fragrant hydrosols, or floral waters, small amounts of esential oils. Fruit and vegetable wines can be turned into fruit brandy and liquers. Its a magical process and yeilds great results.

31 Members

You need to be a member of ooooby3 to add comments!

Join ooooby3

Comments are closed.

Comments

  • Jill, forgot to say I have galanga ginger and also tumeric.  Become and friend and we can sort it out later, OK?

  • Oh great Jill!  Will read as things settle down a bit here.  Live on an island with a great influx of folk this time of year....including our own visitors.  Will let you know how things work out for the distilling.  Wish I could attend the workshops.....never know what can happen, eh?  

    Cheers, and happy holidays

  • Hi

    I run workshops on distilling techniques - hydro-distillation for quality hydrosol and steam distillation for essential oil. Check our UTUBE channel Alembics NZ we have some demonstration clips of various distilling projects. Here is a link to instructions and articles to download on steam distillation on a small scale http://www.alembics.co.nz/how-to-use-your-still/steam-distillation/

    Good luck - its a wonderful pastime

  • Can any one recommend a good site for finding out about steam distilling? I am assuming that is the easiest method, is this true.  I would want to start off very small.  Any comments would help.

  • Hi Sandra

    You will need a still. Have a look at ours on www.alembics.co.nz

    You could try a very gentle hydo-distillation using a traditional copper alembic for the sweet peas. I think the fragrance will be allusive however. Tell me what else you are growing and I can give you some ideas. I have just made 10ml of beautiful Rosemary essential oilo

    as well as 2 litres of fragrant hydrosol. i do this using a 10 L Column Still. Check out my UTUBE distillations - our channal is Alembics NZ. Distilling is a joyful, rewarding and magical process.

    Regards

    Jill

  • How do you get started with distilling.   Our gardening season is just starting and I am going to plant sweet peas because I love their fragrance.  I am interested in learning to extract the oil for use in homemade lotion (shea butter).   I also would like to get started with fruit brandies but don't really have any experience.    Any suggestions?

    Thanks

  • Hi Dian & Dennis

    Sorry I havent replied to your comment, would have loved to have tried some Nocino! I think we will trying the Feilding one this time round. You are right about water soluble compounds from the copper. There are some things that react with copper and produce copper sulphate which is a poison. You can tell when its reacting as tiny blue bits appear. Often it because the still needs a through clean. The only time I have had this reaction was when distilling Rose Geranium there is a constituent in the plant that reacts with the copper. Copper has been used for centuries for distilling and Terry at Schnapp Dragon in Takaka - an experienced comercial distiller certainly has several beautiful working copper stills he uses for his whiskey and liquers with great success. Copper is the preferred choice of whiskey makers. It removes micobes and yeasts from the solution creating a clean distillate. Its reccommended by many distillers using stainless to run the distillate through a copper tube to deodorize it. Anyway, Id like to have both a stainless Still for Rose Geranium and my Copper Stills for our fruit brandies and other aromatic plants I distill.

  • Hi Andy

    You could make it yourself so you could develop or test your products. Or try Terry at Schnapp Dragon Distillery Takaka Nelson.

  • Hello,

    I would like to produce same organic liqueur.

    I'm looking for a supplier for high quality food grade ethyl alcohol.

    A possible minimum purchase portion will be no problem.

    Cheers, Andy

  • Hi Jill & Charlie :

    Interesting. Did not see you at this years N / Land Field days. Would have offered you a sample of our Nocino. We are fans of stainless steel distillation units, as we believe that there 2 copper compounds, that are water soluable, and poisonous.

    Cheers,

    Dian & Dennis

This reply was deleted.