Among other things, today I strained my first batch of viola leaf oil. A couple weeks ago I leveraged a dry day and harvested a bunch of violet leaves. I chopped them, placed them in glass jars and covered them with coconut oil. The first few days they stayed in my dehydrator, heating to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit for a couple hours on, a few hours off. Then, in the remaining time I heated them for a couple hours each day. I like this infused oil for my soap making. Violet leaf is so silky and skin softening and it makes a beautiful, soft-green bar of soap. I have another batch in process and will be making more too … with olive oil.
That's what I made today. Peace.
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12 comments:
Very interesting. If I wanted yet another hobby I sure have plenty of violet leaves.
That is so cool.
Oh that sounds delightful, both in the making and for eventual use as well!
I miss violets. Growing up in Ohio, we had them by the fieldful. No violets in the Mojave desert :(
I have to try that next year. Do you ever use the flowers? Do the leaves have the same aroma?
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
Gilded Owl … I use the flowers in other ways. Mostly, I eat them! I make infused vinegars and honeys with thm too. I don't find them all that fragrant, and the leaves are not infused in oil for their fragrance, so much as the other qualities they offer, like the skin-softening that I mention. As a balm, it's great for soften calloused skin, like on the feet. I also use it as a breast massage, since violet has an affinity for breast health. :)
I love hearing about these processes. I just used the vanilla extract I made according to your directions in some vegan chocolate cupcakes, and even if I say it as one who shouldn't, they are delicious!
We need smelly blogging. the scent coming from the infusion must be so lovely
Wow, That is fascinating on how you infuse in the oil. I'd love to know how to infuse rosemary in olive oil for Christmas gifts!
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Sounds amazing! I can just imagine the soap you can make with it!
So...you put the jars of oil in the dehydrator? I've never heard of that...is that just to maintain a low temp for infusion? Clever!
Yes, Amber … that's exactly why I do it. I make some infused oils without any heat, usually for self-use. Those that I plan to use in creating things for others, be it a gift of business item, I tend to like the oils produced from this process (as do my clients). Those created with no heat, over a week-r-three are wonderful, yet tend to have … fragrance that seems to be a bit too earthy/organic/green/funky for many folks. :)
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