The rainclouds finally parted on Saturday morning for the seventh annual damask rose celebration. I was afraid that the water logged beauties weren't going to be dressed for the party after the previous four straight days of soaking rain. Even through the deluge, I could see buds open
one day and then drop their petals the next. So discouraging!! All that rosy goodness lost, only to make a thick, fragrant carpet for my muddy, bare feet. Rather than lament the loss too much, I tried to consider it a rare indulgence fit for a farmhouse queen. The bees seemed to be happy for the break in the clouds, as well. Their comical drunkenness around the roses is understandable, even from my perspective. When no one is looking, I too, can flit from bloom to bloom and rub my nose in the warm, fragrant center, wishing only for a pair of lacy wings to transport me, giddy, towards the next one. Although the fragrance never dissipates completely when the petals get rained on, it's the sun that brings out the subtle spicy and citrus undertones that make it 
complete. So as the participants of Saturday's class discovered, there were still plenty of rose petals left to fill our baskets and make the day worthwhile. Some additional sunshine and laughter came to the gardens when Jen brought her young daughter Anikka to the class. The roses were certainly matched by the sweetness and beauty of this little girl! She added so much to the day. The most exciting focus of the day was setting up "Tina's Traveling Still"! Tina Sams, of the Essential Herbal, was so kind to share her lovely glass steam distiller so that we could make some rose hydrosol. The damp rose petals put out an amazing end product for us all to share. Once Kim and I remembered how to reconstruct the still, we were rewarded with the quiet hum of alchemy in action. Water, 
Fire, Ice and rose petals! It would be hard to describe two hours of steam distillation in a few short lines. Instead, I'll share the beauty of the transformation in photos. It was a wonderful experience. Adding to the alchemy were Orva's colorful stories of the ancient family moonshining trade, which were rich treasures all to their own! While the still worked through lunch, we settled in to making our own rosy treats to enjoy at the end of the day. In one kitchen the ladies prepared tiny rose petal scones while in the other kitchen the rest prepared Alex's chocolate macaroon recipe with the addition of powdered rose petals, rose water and rose liqueur. Holy Roses!! They were heavenly! To drink, iced rose hip tea sweetened with a splash of pomegrante juice. Later there was the passing of the rose tea cup filled with rose petal liqueur.Sublime! There were enough rose petals left to make 2 quarts of rose
infused vinegar for my Burn Spray and a new batch of Rose Liqueur. I think by the end of the day, our rose bones were satiated, at least temporarily. Sunday morning brought more sunshine with a whole new round of buds opening so I took advantage of the freshly cleaned still and my memory of reconstruction and ran a second round of rose hydrosol. While it hummed away, I decided to do a little extra hydrosol research, since specialized study of aromatherapy is not my forte. I checked in with two well-respected women friends via their websites who are much more knowledgeable since aromatherapy is their business! Roe, from Sunrose Aromatics and Marge from Nature's Gift both have detailed write ups about the therapeutic benefits of rose hydrosol. After studying up a bit and brainstorming a bit more, I've decided to utilize some of this rosy 
distillate into an extra special, limited-time product to commemorate the gifts of the roses during the whole month of June. ((Secrets revealed as I experiment!)) On the Summer Solstice, I will give away a whole small collection of rosy products made right here on the farm. I'll throw in some rose petal jam, rose soap, Burn Spray and a little taste of all the yummies that we enjoyed on the weekend. If you might be interested in this little giveaway, please add your desire to the comments on this post and follow along through the next two weeks as I experiment with the hydrosol until I come up with something extra special!!
It's not over 'til the last petal falls............
