Book Review: Harvest to Hydrosol, Ann Harman

Harvest to Hydrosol, Ann Harman

botANNicals 2015

Annie Harman is a distiller extraordinaire and I am happy to consider her a colleague as well as a friend. Her and I have talked back and forth alot about distilling over the years and I can attest that she is the best person to have authored this book - the first of its kind. This is a must have guide for distillers of hydrosols; either at home as a hobby or professionally.

As a bibliophile it is not surprising that she starts the book out with a history of stills and distilling. It is fascinating to read about the different types of stills used throughout history.  This is followed by advice on how to choose a modern day still to fit your needs.  Annie has the utmost respect for her stills and uses an analogy of the still being the Earth and the distillation process representing the earth’s water cycle of evaporation, transpiration and condensation.

As a scientist, Ann recognizes the importance of safety and keeping the work area/distillation area clean and sanitized. Being made typically on the farm, hydrosols/distillates are prone to being contaminated by airborne bacteria and fungus. She has great advice here.

Much of the book is about observations she has made during her distillations and its good that she has great record keeping skills. These observations dispel some common myths of hydrosols. The Appendix includes chemical analysis (GC/MS) of some hyrosols she has had tested.  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in distilling, even for experienced distillers who want to learn how to make it more of an art.

Distillation is both an art and a science and very few ‘rules’ apply.  However you choose to distill, know that this is an evolving field. Nothing is written in stone  and there are many ways that you can choose to do your distillations. Make sure to make careful observations and document what you do so that you learn from every distillation you perform and find the right way for ‘You’ to distill.

You can purchase this book directly from the author at https://copperstills.com/products/

Boulder Market Interview

The Boulder Market started this past Saturday and we were there. This summer we will be doing both the Boulder and the Longmont branches of the Boulder County Markets. We of course will have to do a magic trick to be both places. This week I was happy to be featured in the weekly newsletter that the market sends out. I thought I would post that interview here as well.


What kinds of things does Sagescript make?

We make natural, botanical skin care and personal care products under the label Colorado Aromatics. These are all made on our farm in Longmont. We also do formulation consulting and customizing of products. Although we sell the typical herbal balms and salves we also have sophisticated, higher end, spa quality products.


Where do you get your herbs and flowers for your botanicals?

Most of the herbs and flowers we use are grown on our Longmont farm. We grow a variety of herbs that are useful for skin care including lemon balm, comfrey, calendula, roses, parsley, fennel, mint, yarrow, raspberry (for the leaf but we eat the fruit too!), and lavender. We extract these herbs in a variety of ways; oil extracts, alcohol extracts, watery extracts and we even distill some of these herbs to produce an aromatic water called a hydrosol. Customers are starting to learn how beneficial these herbal distillates are for the skin and face.

Sometimes customers don't realize that we are growers, but all of our products do contain herbs that we grow.


Where's your farm and what do you grow? Can people come visit?

We are just north of Longmont; a wonderful place because we are out in the country but so close to the benefits of town. I hope this summer to have special days for guests to visit; maybe once a month, but especially when the lavender is in bloom.


We notice you have a Phd! You're also an educator and writer on herbal medicine.

Yes, I have my Ph.D. in biochemistry and did cancer research for several years. I've now turned this knowledge to understanding herb chemistry and cosmetic chemistry and helping others understand these topics too. Until just recently I have been teaching anatomy and physiology for Colorado Community Colleges.

What do you think the most important thing for people to know about herbalism and skin care, or about herbalism and wellness more generally speaking?

There is a tendency now to avoid chemicals which is impossible since everything is chemical and plants are chemical factories in a sense. Natural products can be toxic just as synthetics so everything needs to be evaluated individually.
But there is also a tendency for people to pay more attention to how they treat their skin, just like they have been paying more attention in past years to what they eat. Herbs are very rich in antioxidants and other nutrients that are beneficial for skin, so they really do add benefit to a skin care product. Some herbs have specialized functions such as skin tightening and rejuvenation. Using herbs in skin care and for medicine is a life choice that I believe can help people live healthier and more sustainable lives on the planet.


What will you have at Saturday's market, and where can people find you? What kinds of questions should they ask?

We will be on the north side on Canyon Street. We are also members of the Longmont market so you will find us there to starting in May. Customers are able to try any of our products as we always bring testers. Feel free to ask me about any of the herbs we use in our products.

Also ask about preserving products. I have had some customers tell me they won’t use natural skin care anymore because products mold. As a microbiologist I understand the importance of using preservatives to keep my customers safe. We use the safest and most effective preservatives for your safety and do microbiology testing on our products too. After all, you don’t want to rub bacteria on your skin no matter how natural it is!

What are we doing today?

I have been spending alot of time recently fixing up my workspace and hadn't gotten around to distilling the fennel I had put aside. So, today is fennel distillation. The shop smells wonderfully of anise/fennel. I use fennel distillate/hydrosol in my anti-aging cream that is becoming so popular. Fennel is a perfect herb for dry aging skin and has been long used for that. It is also good for tummy troubles and will freshen any breath. Next on the still will be blue spruce which I use in my hand/body lotion.
Saturday I participated in the Colorado Cupboard's Open House. This Tuesday I will participate in a Holiday open house at Advanced Family Chiropractic owned by Dr. Jessica Thompson. Stop by if you are in Longmont and say hi. The open house starts at 4:00pm.

Whats in the Still?

I haven't distilled as much as I've wanted to this summer. My newly planted herbs just haven't grown big enough to have the amounts needed for distilling. This is disappointing because I have bought a new still. I have been able to combine some of my herbs with those of gracious friends and neighbors though to be able to have enough.

I have been able to distill comfrey, catnip, lemon balm, blue spruce, and chocolate mint. Catnip distillate I use as a base for making my bug repellent spray. Comfrey is a herb that heals epithelial cells so it is good for any skin care product. Comfrey distillate has worked well for me sprayed on a burn in the kitchen. I will also try using it for muscle aches and tendonitis that I seem to get alot of from l weed pulling. Blue spruce I spray on my face for a boost of energy. Lemon balm is great for many skin care applications including burns, rashes and irritations. Its aroma is light, lemony and uplifting. Cookbook author and culinary herbalist, Susan Belsinger, gave me this recipe for Goodnight milk:
To one cup of warm milk add 1 tsp of lemon balm distillate and 1 tsp of maple syrup. The soothing properties of this milk will surely bring about a good night's sleep.

Distillates contain the parts of the plant that vaporize at a temperature at or below that of water. This includes microscopic droplets of essential oils that dissolve as well as organic plant acids. Distillates or hydrosols as they are often called are good for use directly on the skin, especially the face as a toner. Mix with a little glycerol and they become a great toner/moisturizer. If you want to keep a distillate around for awhile though it needs a preservative. Otherwise, keep it in the refrigerator and spray it on your face for a cooling refreshment during the hot days of summer. You can still get several types of distillates from Sagescript including comfrey, lemon balm, blue spruce and catnip.