evanhealy ~ Douglas Fir Distillation

• published: 25 Nov 2015
• views: 34

This ancient tree carries the whole history and mystery of Mother Nature. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), a species indigenous to western North America, thrives. It grows easi-ly, straight and tall and its roots anchor it to the earth as its branches reach towards the heav-ens. It moves stagnancy, nourishes, strengthens, and tones. Its sweetness is reminiscent of lemons and butterscotch, but it is, at the same time, resinous and earthy. These fragrant evergreens bring balance to mind, body and spirit. They act as a balm of na-ture, a moment of stillness and peace, bringing the harmony and adaptability of the forest into our lives. Our Douglas Fir HydroSoul comes to us from a small family farm and distillery in northeast-ern Washington State. It is hand-harvested from certified-organic wild land using sustainable forestry practices. Only young trees are harvested. This both protects all old-growth within the forest and enables us to avoid the use of heavy machinery while harvesting. It also sup-ports the health of the ecosystem by minimizing overcrowding. Harvest only takes place once the temperatures have dropped to near freezing. This is the best time of year to distill conifers. As the temperatures dip, the trees fill their needles and branch-es with sap. This sap replaces the water they hold onto during the hotter, drier months and prevents the trees from freezing. The abundance of this sap in the needles makes for a much much richer, more powerful and deeply rejuvenative distillate. Once the trees have been harvested, the needles and branch-tips are trimmed into small piec-es. Breaking down the hard needles like this helps to release potent aromatic molecules during distillation. After processing, the needles and twiglets are poured into hand-hammered Alem-bic copper stills, and left to steep overnight in a steamy bath of warm water. This all-night steeping softens the needles, making them more permeable, allowing the most active constitu-ents to be drawn out of the plant. In the morning, the stills are brought to a simmer and the four hour long distillation process begins.