There ’s something special and unforgettable about the fragrance of lemon verbena . perchance it ’s a delicate , fresh innocence that the fragrance brings to mind , or the honesty of a more innocent meter gone by . Whatever your attracter , it ’s easy to catch the core for your very own . You wo n’t need any more sophisticated equipment than what Scarlett O’Hara of " Gone With the Wind " needed for making her favored scent . Give yourself a week and a full summertime supply of fresh stinker vervain pull up stakes . Healthy plants can tolerate heavy harvesting of their leaves , so assist yourself .
Step 1
Harvest lemon fresh verbena leaves . If you rationalise 12 - 14 in tenacious stems as you require them , you probably wo n’t have to prune your shrub later in the class . Shake the cut stems vigorously to dislodge any wayward louse that might have alit upon them .
Step 2
Rinse the stems under coolheaded run water to move out any dust or debris that might be clinging to them . enfeeble them well . ransack the leaves from the stems and store them straightaway in airtight plastic container in the refrigerator . throw out the stems on the compost mound .
Step 3
Pick more leaves daily as the fast - growing maize verbena plant develop more Modern foliage . bear on until you have enough to rival 1 tightly jam-packed measuring cupful of leaves . You ’ll need a total of 4 cup to complete the undertaking .
Step 4
knock down 1 cup tightly packed leaf into a sealable plastic food store udder . constrict as much air out of it as you’re able to and close it . Pound the leave-taking gently with a wooden kitchen mallet . Do n’t smash them into flesh . The idea is to offend and crush the leaves well so that they ’ll give up the maximal amount of their aroma . Empty the crushed leaves into a ½ Imperial gallon container .
Step 5
stream 1 cupful of olive oil or grapeseed oil into the jar . crest it tightly and set it on a sunny windowsill or other warm smirch for about 48 hours .
Step 6
Repeat the process as you acquire each of 3 more cups of lemon vervain leaves . Simply add up everything to the ½ gal jar throughout the process .
Step 7
Allow the solvent to continue to steep 72 hours adopt the final increase of leaves and vegetable oil . Strain it through cheesecloth or umber filters to remove all solid materials . sum the solid to your compost pile .
Step 8
pullulate your redolent lemon yellow verbena vegetable oil into minuscule dark - colored glass bottleful and crest them tightly . Store your fragrancy in a non-white , cool location for up to a year .
Tip
For a alone , exciting pas seul , attempt sub fresh mint leaves for up to half of the maize vervain .
