It’s that time of year again, when we are blessed with the vivid beauty of calendula flowers. Calendula is related to marigold and is edible. These gorgeous, vibrant petals can be added to salads, soups, and stews to add some energetic excitement to a dish as well as phytonutrients.
Calendula promotes cellular repair. It is anti-inflammatory and is a superb ingredient to use in salves for burns, sores, skin infections, and rashes.
First collect all the blossoms. They will be a bit sticky – but that resin is precisely the goodness you want!
You can put them directly into oil, but I’ve found there to be too much moisture in there…I’ve had mold form on the oil. Instead, I cut all the blossoms in half and leave them to dry on a cookie sheet for a day or two. By then, they will be visibly ‘dehydrated’ a bit.
Then put them into a ball jar and cover with an oil. If you are using this for a skin ointment, almond or grapeseed are good choices.
Then put this on a sunny windowsill and let the oil infuse with the flower essence for a month.
Afterwards, strain out the plant matter.
The oil can then be used directly on the skin (and be better for your skin that commercial lotions that are nothing but chemistry projects), or can be used as an ingredient in a salve for a thicker consistency.
hummingbirdhealthsynergy.com 