Distilling Hydrosol
Foundation course
Course Overview
Welcome to our foundation course in hydro-distillation. After this course, you will be able to turn your favourite plants into aromatic hydrosols in your own kitchen or studio. You’ll learn everything you need to know to distil hydrosol from start-to-finish. From set up, to bottling, labelling and usage. We will walk you through two different hydro-distillations—rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) and quince (Cydonia oblonga). We’ll demonstrate how to treat these different types of plant materials, and how to extract the best hydrosol from each. We’ll show you how easy it is to start producing aromatics with a small still and the botanicals from your own garden or small-holding. And when you’re ready, you can easily up-scale for larger production.
What you’ll learn
- The processes and techniques to make your own hydrosols
- Set up, packing your still, collecting your distillate and when to stop
- About safety, sanitisation and cleaning
- About the plants used, their properties and uses.
- How to use your hydrosols.
‘Having grown up deeply immersed in nature and the wild, I am very passionate about plants, plant medicine, alcohol free drinks, flavours and scent and creating products that encapsulate those things. Jill—with her vast amount of knowledge and experience that she puts into her courses—has helped me to become confident with the distillation process of creating hydrosols and essential oils for my products and personal uses.’
– Amber Honan, Auckland NZ
Meet your Instructor
Jill Mulvaney
Jill Mulvaney is one of New Zealand’s leading distillation experts. She consults and teaches on all aspects of plant extraction for natural aroma and flavour. She teaches hydrosol workshops throughout NZ and internationally, enjoying teaching partnerships with internationally renowned phytochemists and aromatic distillers in Europe and America. Jill’s practice is informed by decades of experience with plants, and a deep respect for the natural world.
Getting Started
To get you started we offer two free introductory courses. We’ll explain what you need, how to prepare your equipment and ingredients, as well as cleaning your still after use.
Need Help?
Check out our FAQs page for all your questions explained, or email us at [email protected]