You can make oil from flowers through a process called enfleurage.
Understanding Enfleurage
Enfleurage is a traditional method of extracting the aromatic compounds from flowers, resulting in a scented oil. Here's how it works:
The Process:
- Preparation: Freshly picked flowers are placed onto an odorless fatty substance, such as lard or vegetable fat.
- Scent Absorption: The fatty material absorbs the flower's fragrance over time.
- Oil Extraction: Once the fat is saturated with the floral scent, the essential oil is extracted from the fatty material using a solvent such as alcohol.
Key Elements:
- Fatty Material: Acts as a medium to capture the delicate scent molecules from the flowers. The reference mentions lard or vegetable fat as examples.
- Solvent: Used to separate the essential oils from the saturated fat. The reference gives alcohol as an example.
Comparison to Other Methods:
While other methods like steam distillation and solvent extraction are common for extracting essential oils, enfleurage is specifically suited for delicate flowers that cannot withstand heat or harsh solvents.
Example:
For instance, you could use rose petals on a layer of vegetable fat and then use alcohol to extract the rose oil once the fat has absorbed the scent.
In Conclusion:
The enfleurage technique is one way to create oils from flowers, involving the absorption of scent by a fatty substance, followed by solvent extraction.
