My pot of calendula has been growing wonderfully. It was recently time to cut and dry them, and make a jar of calendula herbal oil.
The jar sat about 6 weeks in a sunshine filled window, then strained.
I used the oil to then make my first healing salve (recipes from Mountain Rose Herbs).
The calendula salve will be great on my sore muscles too.
I also made lip balm with the calendula oil. I have made lip balm in the past, but not with home grown herbs. This is a first for me as well. Although a few girls here want their lip balm in tubes, not jars, they are willing to try it. The recipe made 6 - 1/4 oz. jars. I took one and started using it right away. I love the smell too! I added lavender to this batch.
Update: This also fills 10 lip balm tubes, making more from one batch. Also, these tubes are less expensive than the jars I used (pictured above).
The calendula in the jars is beautiful, too!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds awesome. I keep telling myself I will start to do things like this but never get the time.
ReplyDeleteSO tell us, what did you think? I might have to add peppermint to mine I am so hooked on Burt's Bees in a tube!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mama Pea, it was nice to look at in my kitchen for six weeks.
ReplyDeleteLady Jane, you should make this. It's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteKim, we love this stuff, and all of us like the jars, except one kiddo. I think the recipe makes less tubes than jars, so I used the 1/4 oz. jars. I wanted to stretch it as much as possible, to try it out and see if it would make a good gift idea. I just used the salve today after splitting wood.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention, I think the lip balm would be excellent with peppermint essential oil. Also, the salve uses 4 oz. of oil, so it uses a lot if you only make one pint of calendula oil. The lip balm only used 3 Tbsp. I may make the lip balm one more time for winter (using peppermint).
ReplyDeleteOk I'm going to have to try this, I would love to make my own lip balm.
ReplyDeleteSandra, I love it! I can't wait to try peppermint too.
ReplyDeleteDid you put some kind of oil in with the flowers in the jar, or did the liquid that's in the jar come off the flowers?
ReplyDeleteWe've been seeing this growing in fields and ditches in NC for years and wondered what they were. (Now we know. LOL)
Have even tried to transplant some from the field across the road from us (the neighbor doesn't mind). Once moved and replanted, they didn't take. So this year, we're going to try for the seeds.
God bless.
RB
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RB, I filled the jar with dried calendula flowers, then filled the jar with organic olive oil. The flowers petals and oil infuse. The flowers have to dry at least 12 hours before you can infuse them, or they say it will make your oil go rancid (if the flowers are not dry they contain too much water).
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonder you are! You go girl! I have had lip balm on my list for quite awhile now but I have to buy my ingredients from Mountain Rose. One of these days I'll get my little place and grow again....in more ways than one!
ReplyDeleteSam I am, I grew my calendula flowers in a pot. I just kept cutting off flower heads until I had enough. Next year, I'll plant them directly in the herb garden.
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