#leucidal liquid

I’ve made this Distilled Geranium Water, particularly good for combination to oily skins, with the flowers of the geraniums I’ve grown and tended to for a couple of years, and I’m quite happy with its scent and its soothing effect.

Ingredients (makes about 500 millilitres/2 cups):

2 cups geranium flowers* (a mix of fresh and dried flowers)

1.5 litre/6 cups filtered water

a few dozen ice cubes

1 1/2 teaspoon Leucidal (natural preservative, made from radish root)

*not treated

Rinse geranium flowers and place into a large, deep, low (preferably enamel) pot. Place a metal or heat-proof glass bowl or dish in the centre of the pot. Pour filtered water over the geranium flowers, and cover with a large well-fitting lid.

Place pot on the stove, and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, you can carefully upturn the lid, and fill it with ice cubes, to help condensation form. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, about half an hour. Once the ice cubes have melted, scoop out the water, and place new ice cubes.

Remove from the heat, and let cool completely.

You can smell the wonderful scent of Jasmine in your garden (if you’re lucky enough to have one!), you can drink refreshing and delicate Jasmine Water, and you can also spray your face and hair with a beautifully fragrant Jasmine Mist! Not only does it have a soothing and replenishing effect on the skin, its perfume is a mood-cheerer and increase your well-being! Happy Monday!

Ingredients (makes about 125 millilitres/1/2 cup):

1/2 cup Jasmine Water 

1 teaspoon Leucidal (natural preservative, made from radish root)

In a small bowl, strain Jasmine Water. Stir in Leucidal. Stir well. Pour mixture into a spray bottle.

After using the Rose Water I had made from our Spring blooms, I wanted to make more of it, using distillation rather than maceration. Since our Summer roses are even more plentiful, and that I’d bought a natural preservative, so my cosmetics would last longer, I made Distilled Rose Water, and it is quite lovely to make as the whole kitchen smells like a garden. It is very fragrant, and quite lovely to use, too!

Ingredients (makes about 500 millilitres/2 cups):

4 cups Dried Rose Petals

6 freshly picked, fragrant roses (various species, if possible)*

3 cups filtered water

a dozen ice cubes (optional)

2 teaspoons Leucidal (natural preservative, made from radish root)

*only if you don’t treat your roses with chemicals

Place Dried Rose Petals into a large, deep, low (preferably enamel) pot. Remove petals from the fresh roses, and add to the pot (dusting them before, if necessary). Place a metal or heat-proof glass bowl or dish in the centre of the pot. Pour filtered water over the fresh and Dried Rose Petals, and cover with a large well-fitting lid.

Place pot on the stove, and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, you can carefully upturn the lid, and fill it with ice cubes, to help condensation form. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, about half an hour.

Remove from the heat, and let cool completely. 

Remove the lid, and remove metal or glass bowl from the pot. You should have about 2 cups liquid. Stir in Leucidal, and pour Distilled Rose Water into a (sterelised) dark glass bottle (it is sensitive to light) and use within three to four months.

Distilled Rose Water is even more soothing in the Summer when kept in the refrigerator!