The lavender bush outside of my kitchen window has been buzzing for more than a month. I can barely get close enough to snip some of the fragrant purple buds extended over the tops of the leaves for all of the bees. I like them there. I like the idea of them alighting just feet away from where I prepare our food, gathering what they need and then disappearing to who knows where.
All beautiful things are fleeting. All beautiful things are beauty for a moment and then wither into something else. All beautiful things peak and fade.
I think it’s natural to want to capture that beauty of an instant. All good art can do this. But with scents its a little trickier. It makes sense that capturing a scent would make you feel a little bit like you are a magician.
I’ve been practicing my magic on the 8 x 4 ft. lavender bush. I’ve been making potions, starting with lavender.
Lavender, as you might imagine from the smell, has all kinds of lovely uses, the most important of which is relaxation. The only thing in my head right now is how I’m going to use my tincture to add to the baths I get to take after the boys go to sleep, but I’m also envisioning some air freshening spray, maybe a skin toner. Anything where I can inhale its sharp floral essence.
Good Lord, by the time I’m done even the clocks in my house will have fallen asleep.
You can preserve lavender and other herbs in a tincture, a simple process by which the essential oils are extracted and preserved in alcohol. This is how you do it.
1. Get some booze
Vodka, with its minimal flavor, is the best alcohol to preserve herbs with. It needs to be at least 80 proof to prevent mildewing in the bottle.
2. Get the right container
The best containers for tinctures are ceramic or dark glass. I have a lot of mason jars laying around, so I’m using that to make the tincture, but they are best stored in dark bottles that can be stopped with cork or sealed with a screw-top lid. Make sure they are sterilized.
3. Prepare your lavender tincture
Rough chop your lavender harvest, including your stems, enough to fill the container you are making your tincture in. Cover with the alcohol.
4. Remove bubbles
Use a knife to stir around the edge of the glass jar to make sure there are no bubbles in the tincture.
5. Store the container
Place it in a dark place for as few as 7 days or as long as a month. Shake it regularly.
6. Strain
After your tincture has been seeping for as long as a month, strain it into a separate container through muslin cloth, cheesecloth or any other straining material to filter out the lavender stems and flowers. You see in the image that I used a coffee filter. Press into the material to ensure all of the good oils have left the plant.
7. Decant
Pour the tincture into your desired tincture bottle.
8. Label
Lavender tinctures can last as long as 5 years. Label your bottle and store it in a cool, dark place.
And…. done! I feel more relaxed already.
I love the word “tincture.” And I want to try this!
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I just made one with oil again yesterday; we’ll see how it turns out. And then I did some mint. What else can I make a tincture out of?
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You could try making some from the bergamot I have in my garden? It’s almost too late but there’s still some leaves left. Or the geranium macrorrhizum, which smells amazing. Except I don’t have a lot so it would be a very small amount. But I would love some if you do. I wonder if artemisia would be good? I have lots of that you could try. I think you need to come over and smell stuff at my house. 🙂 ~Angela~
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Yes, let me take your bergamot! I’ll go on a sniffescape at your house soon.
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Can I make a tincture with roses? But then what would I use it for?
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I think with rose, the trick is to pick organic roses that have a wonderful, wonderful scent. The look does not matter as much. I am NOT an herbalist, but I’d throw some in with the bath water for its aromatherapeutic properties. Herbalists often suggest ingesting rose tincture for all manner of maladies — to ease tension, to calm, to open the heart. I found this helpful site. We have roses in our backyard and I will most surely try it next year!
http://whisperingearth.co.uk/2010/05/25/the-rose-whisper-of-the-divine/
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You did’nt mention if you use fresh or dried lavender. Which one would be the most potent and beneficial?
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I used fresh lavender that had dried on the counter for about three days. You’ll harness more of the oils with fresh lavender but dried is fine. I don’t really have any advice if you’re using it medicinally. I’d consult a herbalist. Thanks for stopping by!
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can someone tell me what this makes?!? basically a air freshener? can it be used for massages and or anti infectants or a candle oil? please help just make 1.5l of this then read the comments!!
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I use it for anything — put in a spray for air freshener, dump some in the tub, put it in a cocktail. I wouldn’t massage with alcohol, for that you should infuse an oil like jojoba. Hope that helps!
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I wonder if I could make a cider with this. Im making some pomegranate cider right now and I would love to make a blueberry lavender cider!
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