HERB - more distilling; lettuce

[Roos cc]

For early period distilling, you don't even need the tubing!
The early alembic was just a condensation dome
(think pot lid) with a collection channel for the 
condensed water to run into. Today glass is 
recommended, but metals have been used traditionally.
(I think I remember reading that the last lavender
distillery in England uses copper.) In other words,
all you need to do is condense the water vapor on a
cooler surface and collect the run off to get
herbal waters.

Rodale offered a method for small amounts of
essential oil. Infuse the herb in alcohol (like 
vodka) and then put the alcohol in the freezer. The 
oil is supposed to thicken on the surface where it can 
be skimmed off. I only tried this once and did manage
to get a slight film--nothing that I considered
"skimmable." Maybe I needed a stronger infusion/
greater quantity? If anyone tries it, let me know the 
results.

Gerard recommends eating lettuce to ease heartburn--
I tried it and it did seem to help. That's not much of
a sample for testing efficacy--if any of you try it,
let me know what you think.
Alysoun de Ros
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