Tincturing fresh flowers sans bugs

[Guest guest]

I did a quick search to find out how people deal with bugs in one's

flowers, prior to picking them for tincturing. Does it matter that

they have bugs? I tried to pick blooms that didn't externally have

bugs, but after putting the blooms in alcohol (Everclear), at the

bottom were a WHOLE bunch of little bugs -- the little almost

invisible kind that look like tweedlebugs from Sesame Street.

Do they adversely affect your tincture?

[Guest guest]

aiona_b wrote:

> I did a quick search to find out how people deal with bugs in one's

> flowers, prior to picking them for tincturing. Does it matter that

> they have bugs? I tried to pick blooms that didn't externally have

> bugs, but after putting the blooms in alcohol (Everclear), at the

> bottom were a WHOLE bunch of little bugs -- the little almost

> invisible kind that look like tweedlebugs from Sesame Street.

>

> Do they adversely affect your tincture?

Hi Aiona:

All of my flowers are grown organically, and my jasmines have thrips.

They are sooooo tiny! They're also not a bother, so I don't even try to

drive them off by using an organic insecticide. So, when I harvest, I

turn the bowl of harvested blooms onto spread-out newspaper and gently

turn the blossoms with my hands. The thrips run off in all directions.

They're all gone in about 15 minutes. It's like watching thin, black

specks the size of a grain of sand scatter.

I'm not sure what types of bugs you're referring to, but you might try

this method. I'm sure it would work for roses and many other flowers.

Kosher oils, btw, cannot contain insects. I don't know how the big

companies that harvest row crops like peppermint insure they oils are

bug-free, especially since peppermint is harvested by mowing. I've

always wondered about that.

--

Anya's Garden http://AnyasGarden.com - perfumes, aromatics, classes,

consultation

Natural Perfumers Guild + blog with daily updates

1500+ member Natural Perfumery group -

/

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Anya!

I will try laying them out next time and shaking them a bit.

I finally filtered these blooms (and the bugs), but it smells nothing

like the original blooms. The flowers I used were Spanish broom

from my neighbor's bushes. Perhaps I waited too long to filter it,

and it spoiled?

Seriously, it smells AWFUL!

Thank you for the tip about oils needing to be insect-free to be kosher.

Aiona

[Guest guest]

The flowers I used were Spanish broom

> from my neighbor's bushes.

I picked some Spanish Broom yesterday in the canyon, and was trying to

think abut doing the same thing... Would someone who has done this

before give us a hint or two on how best to accomplish this...?

:-)

Thanks,

Kiler

[Guest guest]

Kiler wrote:

> I picked some Spanish Broom yesterday in the canyon, and was trying to

> think abut doing the same thing... Would someone who has done this

> before give us a hint or two on how best to accomplish this...?

>

> :-)

>

> Thanks,

> Kiler

Hi :

I'm not familiar with the Broom, but try and experiment with

tried-and-true tincturing methods. The Simplers method means you just

put the botanical in a jar and cover with alcohol. Shake the jar every

couple of days, and drain and replace the botanical with fresh. Do this

as many times as you determine will reach the scent saturation of the

alcohol you desire. There is a tincturing and infusing FAQ in the Files

section and you can search the archived messages for more information.

--

Anya's Garden http://AnyasGarden.com - perfumes, aromatics, classes,

consultation

Natural Perfumers Guild + blog with daily updates

1500+ member Natural Perfumery group -

/

[Guest guest]

aiona_b wrote:

> Thanks, Anya!

>

> I will try laying them out next time and shaking them a bit.

>

> I finally filtered these blooms (and the bugs), but it smells nothing

> like the original blooms. The flowers I used were Spanish broom

> from my neighbor's bushes. Perhaps I waited too long to filter it,

> and it spoiled?

>

> Seriously, it smells AWFUL!

>

> Thank you for the tip about oils needing to be insect-free to be kosher.

>

> Aiona

Aiona, some flowers just do not tincture well. Tuberose is a good

example - smells awful tinctured. You may need to infuse them in oil

instead - try that and let us know if that works. Check the FAQ on

tincturing and infusing in the Files section for more info.

I just answered before I read your sad tale of stinky broom

tincture - perhaps he should avoid trying this method with them.

--

Anya's Garden http://AnyasGarden.com - perfumes, aromatics, classes,

consultation

Natural Perfumers Guild + blog with daily updates

1500+ member Natural Perfumery group -

/

[Guest guest]

> I will try laying them out next time and shaking them a bit.

>

> I finally filtered these blooms (and the bugs), but it smells nothing

> like the original blooms. The flowers I used were Spanish broom

> from my neighbor's bushes.

>Seriously, it smells AWFUL!

>

> Aiona

Aiona, some flowers just do not tincture well. Check the FAQ on

tincturing and infusing in the Files section for more info.

Anya's Garden http://AnyasGarden.com - perfumes, aromatics, classes,

Hi all,

I am tincturing Fragrant Nasturtium blossoms. They are on their third flower

change, about once a week. The plant is very giving and blossoms readily after

picking. I am interested in the fragrance as it seems to be a common smell

across species (re past e-mails) there is not a lot of fragrance yet and I keep

getting caught in the time to pick variable ie: strongest scent time as the

weather changes dramatically here in Berkeley. After reading this I see I

should start a Jojoba infusion and/ but have not found a good source for

ordering Coconut Fractionated. Does anyone think one is superior to the other

for scent soak?

Thanks for the interesting and pertinent thread

Bb