Description
I am very excited to be offering this workshop and being able to teach this special craft. Herbal distillation is such as love of mine. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think it’s the magic of fire, water, and air that come together to make a product that captures the essence of a plant, and the essence of the conditions under which this plant has grown and was harvested. This is a unique opportunity to learn about herbal distillation and to craft a hydrosol with us. Distillation takes time and patience, as a result this workshop has a 3-hour duration time. Participants get to take home a bottle of hydrosol created during the workshop.
What is distillation?
Distillation is the art of capturing a plant’s volatile properties using a copper alembic still. Basically, the herbs are added to a large copper pot with water; the water is heated to a boil, and the steam it creates releases and volatilizes light plant constituents such as essential oils. When the steam passes through the condenser filled with cold water, it is turned back to a liquid state. This is the way of making essential oils and hydrosols. In the essential oil industry, hydrosols are often described as being the “leftover” of making essential oils, but in cultures around the world, hydrosols are a valuable product in their own right.
What is a hydrosol?
Hydrosols are aromatic waters that have been distilled from plants using a copper alembic still. Hydrosols are the cellular waters of the plant that encompass the water-soluble properties of the herbs mingled with a little bit of essential oil that comes naturally through the distillation process. Hydrosols are used in herbalism, aromatherapy, skin care, ritual work, in food, and more.
This is NOT a workshop on distilling alcohol.
Facilitator Bio
Marissa Baumeister
Marissa is a community herbalist and herb farmer in Cobourg, Ontario, in the beautiful Northumberland hills. She has a passion for working with plants and creates products with the rhythm of the seasons using bioregional herbs and flowers grown in her garden. This process is a tender labour of love that yields magical elixirs, delicious tea blends, fragrant hydrosols, vibrant skin care products, and more. Marissa is passionate about herbalism and teaches workshops on various herbal topics to her community.
