How To Make Rose Water

How To Make Rose Water: Make 100% Pure Steam Distilled Rose Water

Have you ever smelled a rose and wished you could bottle that exact scent? Most perfumes don't even come close to the pure intoxicating smell that an actual rose releases.

Well guess what?... rose water has that exact smell! It's like putting your nose right up to a rose in the midst of it's most scented hour.

Though rose water is kind of pricey at the store, it is relatively easy to make for free with roses from your yard. Plus, the process makes your house smell like a bouquet of fresh roses.

Pure rose water is luxurious in scent, flavor and mood. It's exotic and delicious to cook with. It makes your face absolutely glow when used daily as nature's most gentle astringent. And it smells heavenly when misted on your body.

I recently made a couple bottles for birthday presents, I just couldn't help myself. I was contemplating gifts for two lovely women, who wouldn't want anything unhealthy and whom I wanted to give something extra special.

I suddenly thought, "Rose Water" and off I went to find my copy of Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.

It's surprisingly easy to learn how to make rose water, considering the fact that you're creating a home still and steam distilling roses and water.

If you'd like free printable gift tag for your homemade rose water, below is a gift tag I made for my rose water gifts... I printed mine on a cream colored linen textured printing paper (the kind for resumes) which turned out nice.

So here it is... how to make rose water with your very own rose petals!

How to Make Rose Water...

This rose water recipe utilizes steam distillation and produces pure organic rose water suitable for using in food and beverages, cosmetics, bath and body recipes, as a natural facial astringent or simply a body mist.

Materials:

• Large pot with rounded lid
• Fireplace brick
• Glass or Stainless steal bowl - at least 1 quart
• 2 - 3 quarts of fresh rose petals
• Glass jar and/or decorative glass bottles

Step-by-Step How to Make Rose Water:

Step 1. Gather materials and at least 2 quarts of fresh rose petals.

Step 2. Place the large pot on the stove and the brick inside the center of the pot.

Step 3. Pour rose petals around brick.

Step 4. Place glass or stainless steal bowl on top of brick.

Step 5. Cover rose petals in water, barely covering the brick as well.

Step 6. Cover with upside down lid and bring to a rolling boil.

Step 7. Once boiling, fill the top of the upside down lid with ice cubes or a bag of ice.

Step 8. Turn heat down just enough to keep a steady simmer. The steam will condense when it hits the cold lid and drip down into the bowl. The water in the bowl will be pure distilled rose water.

Step 9. Every 20 minutes, quickly lift the lid and remove a couple tablespoons of the rose water, testing it's smell and taste. It should smell and taste strongly of roses.

Tips...

If you simmer the roses and water too long, the rose water will begin to lose it's potency and you will be distilling plain water not rose water.

It's time to stop when you have between 1 pint and 1 quart of strong smelling, strong tasting rose water.

This took me about 1 hour.

My 2 quarts of packed rose petals gave me over 2 1/2 cups of pure rose water.

For a nice gift, pour rose water into clean decorative glass bottles with tight fitting lids.

You can give the rose water as is for a simple rose gift or you can make it into a delightful bath, body or facial concoction of some kind. Be sure to use only clean jars for storage and display.

Storage and Shelf Life: Refrigerate rose water or keep it in a cool place to increase the shelf life. Other ways to prolong your homemade rose water are to add a little bit of witch hazel, vodka or grape seed extract. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays, thawing out however much you need as you need it.

So that's how to make rose water... I'm happy I won't have to buy rose water possibly ever again ($$$) plus I have yet another use for my rose garden and my decorative bottle collection.

Rose Water Recipes and Ideas for Using Rose Water:

Edible. Rose water is edible and delicious. Most often it is used to make cakes, cookies, pastries and different types of icing. I will say it is an acquired taste for some that aren't used to this unusual flavor. But if you're feeling a bit adventurous, give it a taste!

A favorite restaurant of mine has a delicious rose water lemonade. I also recently had rose candies which made for an interesting treat if you're looking for something unique. It's easy to get creative because you can replace part of the water (usually from about 1 teaspoon to 2 Tablespoons) in any recipe with rose water. However, rose water is best used in sweet delicately flavored recipes that won't overpower the subtle flavor of rose.

Bath and Body. Rose water is wonderful added to the bath with Epsom salts. It also makes a sensual and uplifting body mist. It can be applied undiluted to the face with a cotton ball (after cleansing) for a completely natural and most gentle astringent. Try combining about 3/4 cups pure rose water and 1/4 cup witch hazel for a gentle facial toner. Some people add a few drops of glycerine as well for increased moisturizing.

References:

Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and Other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family

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