Rosemary after the Rain

Following the heavy rain in the wee hours, we're having a lovely day so the doors and windows are open. I just went into the bedroom and there is the most wonderful waft of Rosemary baking in the sun swirling around the room! Fantastic! Here it is in proximity to the bedroom window ...

 

Lovely picture LofL - that is one healthy rosemary. The perfume must be wonderful.

 

Thanks, Fran, it's just incredible ... I'll be massacaring (spelling?) this shrub in November back to nothing! :(

Do you know how to make Rosemary oil .. or should I be asking Wildflower? It's good for deterring fleas on cats and the two babies are too small to have Frontline.

 

Digging through my herbal books I found the folowing instructions to prepare a herbal oil.

Put 50g/2oz crushed herb into a glass screwtop jar. Add 300ml/ 1/2pint/1 1/4 cups ofpure vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar. Leave the jar in a warm place (preferrably in the sun) and shake the bottle each day. Leave for 2 weeks and strain. Add some more fresh herbs and continue shaking the bottle each day. After 4 to 5 weeks the oil should be ready for use.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks a million, Fran, copied recipe and I'll be going out harvesting tomorrow! No probs leaving it in the sun except we're due more rain tomorrow ... hurray... so a day or two doesn't matter here!

Muitas obrigadinhas!

[ 17. August 2006, 11:58 PM: Message edited by: Lady of Leisure ]

 

lovely pic

 

You paint a lovely picture LoL

To make real essence you normally need steam distilation to extract the oil which then floats on top of the condensate and is skimmed or tapped off. It takes large quanties to produce 1oz (30ml) of oil. I assume Rosmary is simmilar to lavendar and you would need the flowers rather than old stems for the best yeild.

Any recipies for extraction of essence using acetone or alchohol is extreemly dangerous and not for the casual amateur. Serious risk of fire or explosion exists.

Some background info Aromacaring : Extracting oil from the plants

and more detailed Essential Oils

It should be noted that as most equipment used for steam extraction can easily be modified to distil alcohol amateur use in the UK is 'discouraged' by HM Customs and Excise. Portrugal may be less restrictive but do your own homework.

 

Thanks, GW and frogesque, and for those links. I think Fran's method seems the easiest. My Rosemary is flowering now ... it only has a rest in the Spring! Fran, do you think I could use sunflower oil as that's all I use, except for olive oil, of course?

 

Mmmm I don't know. Vegetable oil is a light oil, not sure about sunflower oil as I've never used it. (for cooking I use a light olive oil. But if its light with little if any scent - then maybe it will be ok - but I have not idea, sorry.

 

If you can get it grape seed oil is a lovely light carrier oil with little aroma of its own that doesn't clag (technical term :D )the skin so much as sunflower. You can also steep flowers in good quality 80 or 100 proof vodka (hic! Any excuse ) which will absorb the essential oils. All perfumes should be stored in dark or opaque bottles in a cool place to prevent degradation.

 

Lovely photo, LOL. I can never keep Rosemary as my soil is too wet and the cold winds of spring kill it. Trying again this year in a pot

 

my ROSEMARY has servived the worst winter and now looks fantastic, no matter what ever the weather :D :D

 

My rosemary was doing well in the herb bed, but I degardened the herb bed and changed it to formal rose bed.

I planted the rosemary agains a hot sunny wall closer to where I could pick it, but it looks very sad.

HOWEVER between the roses I planted a prostrate rosemary and it is making excellent ground cover.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the nice comments.

Do you mean rape seed instead of grape seed, Frogesque? I'm terribly allergic to rape seed, it having become a very popular crop in Bucks in the 90s when I developed my allergies (in my late 40s I might add!) because of the rape fields. We lived with the Chiltern Hills to one side and the Brill Hills to the other and nothing but rape fields in between, beautiful but lethal! :eek:

The one thing I've found with Rosemary is it does like DRY so if you've got one, NEVER water it .. it will seek out what it needs.