Aracaria Work Diary

Stefan, Tewe, Linda,Isha. Terrie (French woofer)
Dry after three days of heavy rain,22; Moon 23% of full, waxing crescent

Big clean up around tea shed.
Limes olive trees
Weeded lower pecan orchard
Harvester in repair, needs re-welding

Stefan, , Muzz, Linda, Terrie (French woofer)
Warm, sunny, 25, Moon: Now Moon

West: raked olive hill and weeded, mulched all the olive trees.
Mulched and weeded the passionfruit along the upper olive hill fence.
Muzz: brush cut upper and middle dam area, rose tea tree plantation.
Toro: west top gully
East: brush-cut eastern border plant-out, collect mulch lower slope, toro dam and slope.

Stefan, Linda, Tewee, Muzz, Terrie (French woofer)
Warm, sunny, dry, 24; Moon 5% of Full, waning crescent.

West: weeded and mulched mangoes, persimmons, lemon myrtle hill.
Lime harvest.
Continued weeding lotus dam
Slashing, toro: olive hill.
Mulch collecting: middle paddock (largest amount of mulch ever)
East: brush-cutting top area, toro top area, mulching trees.
Loer slope: mulch collection.
Big day.

Hydrosol distillation

Hydrosols, also known as floral waters, hydroflorates, flower waters or distillates are products from steam distilling plant materials. Hydrosols are like essential oils but in far less of a concentration. When a distiller brews plant material with water in a large cooker the steam fills the pot and, as it rises, it causes the glands of the plants to burst and release the oils and essence of the plant into the steam. The oil rises through a condenser and collects in a separate vessel. This is what we know as essential oil, but what about all that fragrant water that was steamed with the original plant material? That is our hydrosol, or floral water.
Hydrosols are usually the result of essential oil production as a by-product but the highest quality hydrosols come from the devoted distillers who, with artist like precision steam the floral and plant material strictly to produce a hydrosol. (The Hydrosols offered by Mountain Rose Herbs are produced in this fashion) Hydrosols contain all of the essence of the plant in every drop, just like essential oils but in a milder form; making them suitable for all manner of applications where essential oils would be too strong.
Noted author Jeanne Rose is quoted as saying.

“The best comes from a distillation where it is the hydrosol that is being produced rather than the essential oil. Often the best comes from the earliest part of the distillation rather than the body of the distillation. This usually smells bright and pleasantly fragrant. Although, some of the therapeutic part of the hydrosol is also produced at the very end of the distillation, and usually has a rather grassy or vegetative note. As the plants are being distilled, micro-particles of essential oil are in suspension, they give the aromatic distillate its scent and will separate out as the hydrosol cools. There is approximately .02% essential oil in hydrosol".

Clinically, the chemical components in the hydrosol are primarily acids, which are hydrophilic (water-loving). Why do they work? Because they acidify the water or the product, which is beneficial to the skin or in the body. Thus the hydrosol acts as a healing anti-inflammatory and mild, but therapeutic antiseptic. Bacteria do not live well in acidic environments, which is why acidic liquids such as vinegar make good preservatives for food items like pickles, Chile peppers and Olives. Acidic environments are astringent and so the hydrosols are useful in skin care products as astringents constrict and contract the tissues. Hydrosols can be used externally in skin care products, internally as a douche, taken as a tonic or combined in a beverage drink. They also make lovely food mists as Rose water has been employed for such reasons for quite some time.

(from mountainroseherbs.com)

Linda/Stefan/Muzz/Tewe/Thierre (woofer from France)
Warm, sunny, dry, 24; Moon 3rd quarter, 45% of full.

Big clean-up, weeding mulching around woofer shed area.
Toro middle paddock
Weeding nettles. Yankee Creek frontage plant-out. Very good growth in trees, very few losses.
Continue brush-cutting east, top area.
First dragon fruit flowers & fruit.

Stefan/Tewe/Muzz/Linda/Isha/Luke
Warm, sunny, 24
Hubert’s second memorial day.
West: further work in Old Garden, green manure up
Weeding, mulching drive area, Hubert’s lookout.
East: weeding trees, top area, north, brush-cut.
Toro lower slope.

New girl calf born on Friday the 13th.
Mother Jarman, father Simbanandi.

Stefan/Tewe/Muzz/Linda/Isha
Overcast, little rain, 22, Moon 97% Full

Old Garden refurbishment proceeding. Removed all the overgrowing sweet potatoes, old weed-mat, shifted piles of failed compost, started a new huge compost heap and finished the boundaries of this new garden. Good job.
Toro: top area west, brush cut, top area, woofer shed.
Linda: weeded nettle bed, tea shed. Ground dried olive leaves.

Stefan, Tewe, Muzz, Linda
Warm, sunny, little rain overnight. 24 Moon62% full, waxing gibbous.

Big day.
Slashed Lemon Myrtle Hill. Very difficult, long grass, trees looking good. Mostly brush-cut.
Mulch collection: fig-tree paddock
Toro: tea shed area. limes, maccas.
Little work in Old Garden.

Warm, slightly overcast, bit of sun, 24, few drops of rain. - Moon: 39% of full, waxing crescent
Stefan/Tewe/Muzz/Linda/Isha

West: palm potting, garden refurbishing, 2nd half start.
Toro: drive paddocks, fig-tree paddock

East: mulch collection, top area