There's a first for everything, and today that meant making homemade rose water! After identifying the gorgeous Damask Roses that we share with our nextdoor neighbor (it grows right on the property line, and while I can't help but keep it pruned as it is so freakishly pretty, I love that we both take advantage of it and pick bouquets!), and learning that it is the rose most commonly used to make rose water, I couldn't resist trying my hand at it.
As there are SO many recipes that call for rose water out there, not to mention it makes a gorgeous room spray, today I dismantled a recent bouquet my husband had picked from the bush out front, and tried both Treehugger recipes to make my own. The distillation process was a complete joke, creating a small amount of water, yes, but that did NOT smell like rose one bit, but fortunately the infused version (think: soak petals in hot water til they transfer their color and scent into the water) is a keeper. May not last as long but I'm still stoked that it worked! Considering a bottle at the store is $10, and can't guarantee the roses weren't treated with pesticides, much less where they were grown, this is the way better option.
“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.” ~ Emma Goldman