FW: jonquil infusions

[Guest guest]

Hi, I haven't seen a response to this one, so posting again. I hope someone can

help me - I have very little experience in the world of tincturing.

TIA

Tan

Hi Everyone,

A long time lurker here, and stepping out into the light to ask a question.

I have literally a backyard full of jonquil bulbs that within the next month of

two will give me hundreds of flowers and I would like to infuse or tincture

them. Does anyone have any experience with this they can share and also when is

the best time to pick the flowers - just before opening, just before full bloom,

morning, evening etc etc?

Thanks for your help

Tan

Tania Small

Imagination is more important than knowledge... Albert Einstein

[Guest guest]

At 01:31 AM 6/7/2005, you wrote:

>Hi Everyone,

>

>A long time lurker here, and stepping out into the light to ask a question.

>

>I have literally a backyard full of jonquil bulbs that within the next

>month of two will give me hundreds of flowers and I would like to infuse

>or tincture them. Does anyone have any experience with this they can

>share and also when is the best time to pick the flowers - just before

>opening, just before full bloom, morning, evening etc etc?

>

>Tania Small

>Imagination is more important than knowledge... Albert Einstein

Hi Tania:

That quote is one of my favorites.

With holidays and such, the group has been a little quiet lately, and I

myself am just coming up for air from some major and minor crises, so I

figured I'd pop in and try to help. Anyone else with jonquil or

infusion/tincturing knowledge feel free to jump in.

This question, although perhaps not focused on jonquils, has been answered

a lot here in the past. Search the archives for details. I recently put up

a bare-bones FAQ on the subject, which I really need to flesh out.

Here's what I advise: tincturing usually gives the best results with

indole-type flowers like the jonquil. You will probably need to replace the

flowers every few days to obtain as much scent as possible. One dunk won't

do it. If you have lots coming into bloom, you might want to set up three

or four containers with alcohol, and sequentially recharge them on a

four-day cycle. Just strain them, replace them.

It's been years since I've been in a jonquil-growing area, so I would let

your nose be your guide as to time of day that the scent is strongest. The

Files area also has Jeanne Rose's guide to tincturing lilacs, via the

refrigeration method, and this would be a good path for you.

I advise picking any flower the first day. If I miss getting my jasmines or

tuberoses, they're fainter the next day due to sun, rain, volatility of the

oils, etc. HTH.

Anya

http://anyamccoy.com

" Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. "

Mark Twain

[Guest guest]

Hi Anya,

>

> With holidays and such, the group has been a little quiet

> lately, and I

> myself am just coming up for air from some major and minor

> crises, so I

> figured I'd pop in and try to help. Anyone else with jonquil or

> infusion/tincturing knowledge feel free to jump in.

Thanks for your help, I hope life is giving you time to breathe, rest and enjoy

it.

>

> This question, although perhaps not focused on jonquils, has

> been answered

> a lot here in the past. Search the archives for details. I

> recently put up

> a bare-bones FAQ on the subject, which I really need to flesh out.

I have downloaded it and it is a wealth of information!

>

> Here's what I advise: tincturing usually gives the best results with

> indole-type flowers like the jonquil. You will probably need

> to replace the

> flowers every few days to obtain as much scent as possible.

> One dunk won't

> do it. If you have lots coming into bloom, you might want to

> set up three

> or four containers with alcohol, and sequentially recharge them on a

> four-day cycle. Just strain them, replace them.

Ok, I will give that a whirl - do you think Vodka would be ok as an alcohol

medium - I am in Australia and find it difficult to find a perfumers alcohol

Can you explain what you mean by indole-type please?

>

> I advise picking any flower the first day. If I miss getting

> my jasmines or

> tuberoses, they're fainter the next day due to sun, rain,

> volatility of the

> oils, etc. HTH.

Once again - thank you for the info - the jonquil leaves are all out and the

first flower heads are popping out of the ground and heading for the sun - so I

should see the first flower within 2-3 weeks I will let you know how I get

on.

Take care

Tan

>