I’ve graduated to two bottle sizes,10 & 35ml…across three Botanical Waters…
Hello again everyone,
Now the winter days are here, I really am playing catch-up on all the things that have been waiting in the wings! Whilst I was delighted to draw your attention to the 2024 batch ESSENTIAL WORK DRESS last week (and please do get in touch if you’re keen to have your name on the list as quickly as possible now as I need to get that order in the pipeline!) I’ve been desperately wanting to formally release the latest batches of BOTANICAL WATER! Unlike the dresses…they are ready to despatch!
Each time I pop a lid, to fill a special order request…I just swoon! Whether ROSE GERANIUM, ORANGE BLOSSOM or LAVENDER each makes me just go oooooooh in pure delight! The Rose Geranium is so crisp and bright…whilst it transports me to romantic, picture-perfect glasshouses, it also triggers a wonderful sense of clarity. The essence of the Orange Blossom is wildly evocative of the south of France, Italy, Morocco, Spain…indeed all the Mediterranean countries and the Levant, that enjoy long seasons in the baking sun (although in fact the orange originated in China and northern India) and although utterly intoxicating, I find its perfume to be warm, gentle and reassuring. As for the Lavender…that one is all reminiscent of baskets of crisp white sheets and glorious linen stiff from the line on a hot summer’s day…alongside running my fingers through a heat-hazy row of flower spikes alive with bees at work, their dizzying drone accompanied by cicada song filling the air. Again...intoxicating and bringing such a flood of memories to the fore. All of them though, have been captured right here in the garden…because our garden here was created to evoke exactly those memories; and each botanical evolves to fruition at its designated moment in the season…year in, year out.
To think all of those emotive sensations can be, indeed are…captured in a bottle! I carefully pick each botanical at its very peak moment: the Rose Geranium in sprinter (when it too, all of a sudden sprints in a great rush to flower); the Orange Blossom during that one magical week in September when I drop everything to spend mornings perched in the boughs of a tree, plucking each single blossom at-a-time before either the spring winds whip up or we get a drenching, or both! And then the Lavender, during those frenzied weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, as on the brink of holiday time, an air of anticipated celebration consumes our lives. In each instance, the botanical material goes directly from garden to still…there’s no delay.
Botanical Water is just that: water…the pure essence of the plant (be it leaf or flower) captured in pure water, via the alchemic art of distillation on a traditional copper alembic still. The process is an ancient one that I’ve learned over time, and find enchanting. I do intend to run some harvest and distillation workshops again when the spring unfolds (as ever, they will be spur-of-the-moment and entirely weather-dependant) but for now I’d just love for you to have the opportunity to enjoy the scent of the garden here…for a moment of uplifting joy as we encounter the depths of winter!
Given the tiny size of each distillation, I’ve chosen to leave any mystical hint of essential oil in rather than separating it out, which makes the Botanical Waters or Hydrosol (their specific term) all the more potent and delectable. Making that decision is entirely in the hands of the Distiller and is unlikely to occur in a commercial situation where capturing essential oil is the primary consideration. Unlike perfumes (which contain other elements) with the Botanical Waters, just as an ephemeral scent on the breeze can literally stop you in your tracks, one moment the essence is there and the next it’s gone. Misting them onto your face is like flicking a switch in your mind…to an infectious, fleeting moment of bliss! And they’re rather lovely on your skin…just close your eyes and enjoy a little misty spritz! There are no preservatives (which would alter the purity I seek) so there are absolutely no nasties. All the plant material is organically grown and harvested by yours truly – this is tiny batch distillation, for the pure pleasure it brings.
If I can, I like to bottle in batches, as bottling requires time, patience, sterilisation and concentration! So now is the perfect time in the season to don my (imaginary) lab coat, to get out my pipettes and glassware, labels and pen…and to lift the lid on those dazzling waters that are calling to me from the cellar…they want to be let out and enjoyed!
You can read more about the BOTANICAL WATERS on the webpage here and scroll to the bottom to find links to order each of the Waters in either 10ml or 35ml atomisers. I’ll soon write more in a Substack post about both the Botanical Water and the Field of Flowers. I know many of you are following along on that platform now for much expanded news of all that goes on here…particularly in the garden (and for the recipes!).
As ever, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch…it’s just me at this end! And don’t forget about the dresses!
With very warm wishes
Mickey
ps I do always wear one of my lovely aprons for the Botanical Water bottling exercise, though I am just a bit tempted to get an actual lab coat!
