A portable distiller now under development at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute could open doors for growers and wild crafters across Saskatchewan.
Wanda Wolf, president of the 300-member Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association, said equipment capable of extracting essential oil is needed in her industry.
“A portable distiller that travels between places in the province would work for timely distilling,” she said. “It will be tremendous for our industry and for the possibilities it opens up in a host of plants.”
For example, Wolf said lemon balm must be processed within a few hours of picking because the oil quickly loses its quality and value. These oils are used in perfume, cosmetics and household cleaners.
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Essential oils could also be extracted from screenings or foliage of spices such as dill and caraway to increase returns to growers who already grow the plants under contract.
For wild crafters in remote areas or in the boreal forest, Wolf believes processing could take place at one site while pickers harvest at nearby sites.
“If we had a distiller coming to a community, there’d be a lot of income streams coming in,” she said.
Wolf envisions producers, pickers and processors renting equipment from PAMI and hiring a distilling technician. She said training will be required to run the distiller, which she hoped would come from those already using similar devices in Quebec and Alberta.
