making essential oils

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making essential oils
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wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 05 6:42 pm Post subject: making essential oils

I'm planning to have a go at making my own essential oils this year (after my roman chamomile shock at boots yesterday)

Do any of you herby types know what species of either chamomile or calendula offcianlis variety I should grow for the best oils. I know you don't get very much, but I don't need a lot, and it it'll be nice to grow it and then process it all myself.

I use a lot of bergamot too - does anyone know whether this is made from the perrenial with red flowers or the cirtus fruit. I might be able to grow the former, but I don't reckon I can manage citrus!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 05 6:44 pm Post subject:
Has all our hard slog in populating the glossary been in vain? Lookie here: https://www.downsizer.net/index.php?option=com_glossary&catid=97&func=display&search=bergamot And as punishment please enter annother 10 terms

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 05 7:32 pm Post subject:
You're so masterful...............

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 05 8:47 pm Post subject:
Oh all right smartie pants. I know that there is a citris fruit called a bergamot too, I just wondered which the oil was made out of (and which bit - flowers like chamomile, or leaves like everything else) If you start being nicer, I might just write an article about how to make essential oils (or more likely how not to, in my case!) It doesn't look that difficult............

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 05 9:04 pm Post subject:
It isn't hard per se, but it's a bloody destructive process. The amount of oil you get out of a plant when making an essential oil is miniscule. Where you get the oil from, what bit of the plant, depends on what type of plant it is; off the top of my head, I don't know which bit of chamomile it is (I think it's the flowers, and I think it's Roman chamomile).

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 05 9:29 pm Post subject:

I was hoping that the resultant herb 'water' would be almost as useful as the plant, as I could use it for the soap I might one day get around to making (The web has come to my rescue - thanks fluffykitten) to make it more herby, plus �17.50 buys a lot of pottering in the garden/still room as far as I'm concerned (although I don't expect to get more than 10mls, but this sort of thing passes as fun as far as I'm concerned!) It's really the calendula I'm confused about - there are about 10 different cultivars (or varieties or whatever it is that comes after species) on chiltern seeds!

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 8:09 am Post subject:
Calendula officinalis is the one you want - common or garden, plain orange, flowers all year, wonderful plant. Love it. Petals are good in scones too, by the way.............

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 9:20 am Post subject:

Some couple of years ago there was a lavender special in Country Living or some other such daft mag (which, yes, I bought) and they showed how to distill the oil...it was a funny set up involving a tea pot, rubber tubing, a bowl of iced water and a Bunsen burner. Sounds like something an MP does in his spare time.

Anyway, would love to see how you get on...as Tahir's not spotted your comment, yes, we'd love an article whatever happens!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 10:19 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

If you start being nicer, I might just write an article about how to make essential oils (or more likely how not to, in my case!)

I am according to all and sundry niceness personified....now get that article on my desk by monday morning, or it'll be detention time.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 10:20 am Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

as Tahir's not spotted your comment, yes, we'd love an article whatever happens!

Gis a chance love, I'm doing my end of year cleardown.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 10:27 am Post subject:

That's pretty much what it says in the book! It's one of those things that sounds a little bit time consuming and fiddly, but doesn't involve any actual skill . So on a good day, even I should be able to manage it.

So I need to find calendual offcialis nothing - I'll keep trying (why is it always the common or garden one that I like best, and is difficult to find!)

And Tahir, you'll still have to wait for the things to grow! Even if you are nice as pie!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 10:42 am Post subject:

Organic Gardening catalogue does 'em...https://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_50_139&products_id=872 - not really worth it though by mail order?

We went to Wisley last weekend and they have a good selection of Suffolk Herbs seeds and another range of wildflowers/herbs etc. Perhaps you visit a good show garden or decent garden centre that might stock them (or Suffolk Herbs' website might have a stockists list).

tahir wrote:

Gis a chance love, I'm doing my end of year cleardown.

Dunno if you've noticed, m'duck, but it's a bit late for end of year anything

(Yeh, I know it's probably some business term the loikes o' me wouldn't understand, but I have to get a dig in for being called "love"

)

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 11:05 am Post subject:
Nickys Nursery? https://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/herb2.htm#Wf0002 We have a couple in our garden; they're constantly in flower, but sometimes a little scruffy looking. Nicky's has the wild type form, and I'm -sure- you'll find other things there to make the postage cost worthwhile. I always do.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:34 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

Country Living or some other such daft mag (which, yes, I bought) and they showed how to distill the oil...it was a funny set up involving a tea pot, rubber tubing, a bowl of iced water and a Bunsen burner. Sounds like something an MP does in his spare tiime.

Country Living is in fact an excellent magaine, and has greatly improved over the past couple of years. They have a good variety of conservation articles etc in it, as well as organic gardening, and champion women business entreprenneurs. Some of the decorating and making features are a bit twee and not like real life, but on balance, I find a lot of it extremely useful. They do a good section on events around the country every month.

By the way, you missed out the orange for the MP bit...........

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 3:52 pm Post subject:

From Cabs link:

Pot marigold a well known plant.......... Magical powers include legal matters, protection, psychic powers and prophetic dreams

I think we'd all better have some! Actually I have now found some in the bottom of the seed box (intened for the RC seed swap, oh well, plenty more to go in there) that look as though they came free with gardeners world magazine. Even better. They are a bit fluffy for my taste, but as I'm going to rip the flower heads of and boil them, that won't matter too much! If they flower all the time, do you think I can sow them now? or is it really too early (me? impatient, never!)

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