Distilling Lemongrass for Oil and Hydrosol

Just finished distilling a batch of fresh Lemongrass from Jamaica.  The resulting oil is wonderful however the yield was low at 0.2%.  For curiosity's sake, I'll have the oil tested for Citral content.  It is apparently not worth importing the raw material for distillation here in Oregon.  It will make for a very expensive oil.

Photos can be found on The Essential Oil Company's Facebook Page

Hands on Distillation Workshop 9/29/12

We were pleased to have 16 participants at our Hands on Distillation Workshop today, at the Boutique Distillery.
We discussed distillation and extraction.  Utilizing four different types of essential oil stills.
100 gallon stainless steel steam distiller, 35 gallon stainless steel water/steam distiller Rotating column 40 liter copper Alembic and a 15 gallon copper water/steam distiller.
We had an eclectic and interesting group of participants.  Some folks already had apparatus, some were thinking about getting into essential oil distillation, while others also had an interest in distilling spirits.
Photos can be found on The Essential Oil Company's Facebook Page

Bitter Orange Essential Oil Extraction

Bitter Orange Oil is extracted from the peel of Citrus aurantium amara.  It's a "cold" process.  A thin layer is scraped from the peel in the extractor.  The extractor is like a rotating cheese grater.  The oil is separated from the peel,waxes and water in a centrifuge.
View the photos

Making Charcoal

One of my favorite non-timber forest products, is charcoal.

You will find photos of charcoal manufacture, from Eucalyptus citriodora wood in Brazil here

Burning wood in the absence of oxygen results in incomplete combustion, thus creating charcoal.  In addition to charcoal, which is sold packaged in the marketplace, tars are also recovered during the process.

Harvesting and Distilling Pettigrain Essential Oil

Harvesting and Distilling Oil of Petitgrain in a Wooden Still

Harvesting and Distilling Guaiac Wood Essential Oil

Harvesting and distilling Guaiac Wood in Paraguay