Things You'll Need:
- 3 cups freshly-picked calendula blossoms
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil or almond oil
- 2 oz. or ¼ cup beeswax chips or grated beeswax
- 30 to 40 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
- 1 quart-size canning jar
- Small, heavy saucepan
- Strainer
- Cheesecloth
- Wooden spoon
- Small, wide-mouth jars with lids, sterilized
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Step 1
Pick the calendula blossoms on a sunny morning so that they will be fairly dry. Shake the blossoms well to make sure any soil is removed.
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Step 2
Put the blossoms into a quart-size canning jar. Add the olive or almond oil and stir it to make sure all of the blossoms are coated with oil.
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Step 3
Cover the jar with cheesecloth so that moisture can evaporate, and set the jar in a sunny window. Leave it until the oil turns to a deep golden color, about one to two weeks.
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Step 4
Place the oil in a small, heavy saucepan and add the beeswax. Heat the mixture slowly on low heat just until the beeswax melts. Add the lavender essential oil, if desired, and pour the mixture into wide mouth glass jars. Allow the oil to cool and thicken into a salve before placing lids on the jars.
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Step 5
Strain the healing salve thoroughly through a folded cheesecloth laid in a strainer, pressing with a wooden spoon to extract as much oil from the blossoms as possible.
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Step 6
Pour the salve into the jars and allow it to cool before tightening the lids. Store the calendula salve in a dark, cool place. It will keep for about a year.
