Citrus Oil Harvest Time

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Citrus Oil Harvest Time

Right now there is a plant, fruit or flower growing somewhere in the world that will eventually provide an essential oil you’ll use sometime next year. Click to read more.

I always enjoy the thought that at any given time of year the beautiful plants, flowers and fruits that eventually become pure essential oils are busy growing.

At Amphora we source our oils from trusted suppliers all over the world so at any one time there are plants growing and being harvested ready to be processed to extract our gorgeous essential oils.

For example, right now our Italian suppliers are harvesting some of their citrus crops. The Lemon harvesting season has just started, the Mandarin harvest is well underway having started in early October and they’ll start harvesting Bergamot in mid-November. The Orange harvest starts later in December.

Lemon is a bountiful fruit. Italy alone produces between 650 and 700 tonnes of Lemon oil every year. This helps to explain why it’s one of the cheaper oils. It’s easy to grow, relatively easy to produce the essential oil and most of the fruit is used in one way or another (for food and drinks etc) so there is very little wastage.

Bergamot is not so plentiful. Only 100 tonnes of the oil is produced each year in Italy – mostly in the beautiful Calabria region. A similar amount of Mandarin oil is produced each year.

Mandarin is an interesting oil because different varieties are produced depending on the time of year that the fruit is harvested. Those that are processed earlier in the season produce Green Mandarin (the colour comes from the natural chemicals in the peel). Those fruits that are harvested later in the season produce Red Mandarin.

We sell both varieties at Amphora. The green variety has a sweet, sharp aroma while the red is still sweet but with a gentler edge. Mandarin is known as the Children’s Oil in France and is one of the few oils which is safe to use with children due to its gentle nature.

You can read more about our citrus oils in the Essential Oils section of this website.

The fruits being harvested at the moment will be processed in the coming weeks and we’ll receive a batch of the resulting oils early next year. 

Read 2684 times Last modified on Thursday, 08 January 2015 09:39
Published in Amphora News
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Disclaimer:

Please note that Amphora Aromatics Ltd cannot be held responsible for any injury, illness or adverse reaction to any recipes, instructions or advice given. It is the responsibility of the end user to ensure that they have followed the relevant safety protocols and that they are aware of any possible side effects before use. We always advise that a skin patch test is carried out before full usage of any natural product whether purchased from ourselves or elsewhere.

If you are making a water based formulation for yourself or to sell then it’s very important that extremely high levels of hygiene are adhered to. Please also be aware that water based products will require some sort of preservative to ensure that they don’t spoil too rapidly. Once water has been included in a formulation bacteria can quickly form and spoil the finished product if preservatives are not used.

Some essential oils can be particularly hazardous for pregnant women. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant then please ensure that you have carefully checked that the essential oil(s) you plan to use are suitable. We recommend that essential oils are avoided altogether during the first trimester of pregnancy. Products should be stored out of reach of children. If you’re planning to use essential oils during pregnancy or with babies or children then you should consult with a professional Aromatherapist first.

Some essential oils are flammable and can be hazardous to the environment. Please ensure they are correctly stored and are disposed of responsibly. We recommend that essential oils are never taken internally and that they should not be applied to the skin around the eyes and mouth.

Any information provided by us, whether online, verbal, via email or letter is not intended as medical instruction or advice. Please seek professional medical advice if you have any concerns about or problems with your health.