Dandelion Hydrosol Distilled In California

Long before the snowbirds returned to Canada both human and fowl, dandelion flowers dotted our grassy hills, peeking through patches of snow, brightened by sun that hadn’t been felt on skin for months. My mother was faithful to their collection; teaching me about the healthfulness of the green leaves and plucking the bright flowers for her yearly dandelion wine and jelly. She would tuck a flower behind my ear or place a few in my hand to sniff and smear on my skin, marking spring in yellow while collecting the harvest.

I have made macerated dandelion oil for as long as I’ve made salves and sore muscle rub for skin care but this year was my first harvest of the soft flowers for a distillation I had planned most of my adult life. To me, it is the epitome of wild crafting; the one recognizable wild edible in a forager’s harvest. It’s the first kiss of spring while all the other plants bargain with the cold until they’re sure warmer days are ahead. I’d forgotten how exhaustive collecting the flowers was and when I shared this with my mother, instead of consolation, she insisted I collect more to make dandelion wine. Even in her seventies, her mind is on foraging and teaching or rather reminding me how to enjoy living off the land. 

Other than slight lactone notes, dandelion hydrosol reflects a very mild aromatic profile as a distillation. I’ve noted  significant improvement in skin tone and find it makes skin remarkably soft. As with many of my distillations, I found nothing in the way of chemical constituent profiles when researching the hydrosol. Lack of data has never stopped me from exploring plants with the still but I think next year I’ll pick a little extra for that dandelion wine.  

Shelf life: 12 months. Refrigerate to prolong freshness.

Packaged in 3.3oz/100 ml tamper proof refillable glass bottles.

Our hydrosols are kept in dedicated refrigeration until shipped.