Calendula Salve
With cooler weather ahead, a particular cold-loving flower has been on our mind - the brilliant yellow Calendula, with which we make our skin-pampering Calendula Salve. Flowering through summer, the Calendula will drop seeds and resow itself in the autumn, bringing warmth and a happy feeling to the garden in the often-dreary colder months.
Calendula is touted for its skin-nourishing properties, such as its ability to plump and tighten the epidermis. Furthermore, it has been used for centuries for its antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial qualities, helping to soothe irritations like eczema and diaper rash.
But what makes our Calendula Salve so special? Well, it all comes down to timing!
The Calendula’s essential oils are at their most potent when they are flowering at their peak, before they’ve been visited by a pollinator, which initiates their seed-producing stage. Catching the flower in this critical pre-seeding period is only part of our secret, though!
Every morning, a flower “wakes up”, just like we do. As the sun rises, it begins its photosynthesizing process, where it grows and “perspires” its essential oil and medicinal properties. The trick is to harvest the Calendula when its oil concentration is at its peak, before the mid-day sun begins to heat the flower, slowing down this process. Therefore, we only harvest our Calendula in the morning, after the dew has dried – typically between 10am and noon.
What’s more, we always try to harvest Calendula on a flower day, which is when the moon is in front of an Air/Light Constellation, as on these days the flower’s essences are stronger. Once the fresh flowers are picked, we continue to take measures to ensure the health and growth of the plants in maintained by trimming the spent flowers which prevents seed formation and keeps more flowers coming. By dead heading, we elongate the harvest window of these sun-filled flowers. Only then do we begin to dry the flowers, which we do using an electric dehydrator. It is important to dry herbs in the shade to prevent the sun from damaging the medicinal properties of the flowers.
Once the flowers are properly dried, feeling crisp to the touch, they begin a month-long infusion process. We combine the flowers with organic olive oil and just a bit of lavender blossoms for added botanical goodness, then store the mixture in large jars kept away from direct contact with light. For the following month, we give each jar a daily shake to help along the infusion process – we even like to hold a nice thought when we’re doing this, to also infuse the mixture with a bit of positive energy!
After the infusion, we strain the oil and compost the flowers. Carefully, we slowly heat the oil to a temperature low enough to keep from damaging its potency, but just high enough to melt bee’s wax. Using a ratio of 5 parts oil to 1 part bee’s wax, we combine the two to create a silky textured salve that feels every bit as good on your skin as it is for your skin.
But don’t take our word for it – try it for yourself! You can find Valentines Farms’ Calendula Salve at our stall at the Deep Roots Farmers Market, or coming soon to the shop at valentinesfarm.com!