Simple Distillation

The holidays are over and we took down our tree which usually means it is time to start distilling conifer needles.  I decided that I wasn't feeling up to getting out my makeshift distillation equipment, because I was not altogether recovered from the flu and didn't want to clean up a mess like this:

If you think this is bad, you should have seen the ceiling. It usually works quite well. 

So I decided to make  this year's January distillate with the even more makeshift method that we sometimes read as being attributed to the anonymous author of Le Ménagier de Paris, although I sometimes think we take liberties with our interpretation of that recipe.

If I were following those directions for using glass bowls, I would using a muslin kerchief over the pot instead of an inverted lid, and set it in the sun.  I might try that next summer with my small pickling crock.  Just to see what happens.

There are a couple of things that I don't do. I don't use a brick  or rocks because I cook with these distillates. I put a small inverted glass custard cup under the glass bowl inside the soup pot. Which you can't see very well in the video.   It ends up looking something like this.

(Please don't laugh at my drawing.) 

How much water you put in is really up to you and depends on how much plant material you put in there.  You want to make sure that it is just barely covered. Just try to make sure it doesn't go more than half way up the bowl that is sitting upright in your pot.   People who want exact measurements are going to be as disappointed in me as they are a lot of medieval sources.   How much you use all depends on the size of your stock pot.  I probably use 2 cups of spruce needles and 1/2 gallon water in this video:

I also don't use ice because while its nice, you really don't have to and I like for a little of the steam to get into the air. It's dry here during the winter time.

Then I just simmer the needles over low heat until the water is almost gone and collect the distillate that has dropped into the bowl.  Then I bottle it and store it in the refrigerator.