Hot oil infusion using calendula

Two weeks until Christmas and I am preparing to bake cookies. Gathering supplies and realize I need to get my cookie rack which is covered in calendula. Ugh, I need to finish my calendula! I had picked it from my garden in the fall and left it on the drying rack in the storage room. Promptly forgotten.

This was my first year growing calendula and it was super easy! Not only does it deter pests from your garden but it is also medicinal. I will certainly be adding this every year.

What is calendula?

It is a plant where the flower (and other parts) can be used to make medicine. It is part of the marigold family but not the same as the ornamental marigolds you find at the local flower mart.

It can be used for multiple things....best known for skin benefits. It can relieve dryness or chapping, diaper rashes, minor wounds and cuts, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, or other skin problems. It has anti-fungal (think yeast infection, athletes foot), anti-inflammatory (swelling from injury, sprained muscles and bruises), antiseptic and anti-microbial properties (healing of cuts, bug bites, acne).

How to make a hot oil infusion:

It is super easy to make an oil infusion. There are two methods- cold and hot. Cold is preferred but due to time constraints I needed to make a hot infusion so I could use some of my calendula oil in gifts I was making.

I filled a mason jar with calendula and then added sweet almond oil to cover the flowers plus about one inch above. I then poured it into my crock pot on warm. I left if for the afternoon (3-4 hours) then turned it off. I did not have time to filter it the first day so I left it to cool until the next day then began the filtering process.

I used a large funnel and a coffee filter. I placed it where I could leave it for several hours to allow the slow drip process to happen without preying hands or sniffy animals. (both trouble makers in my house) Once done I put a lid on the jar, labeled it and put it in a dark cupboard for when its time to make my next creation using sweet almond oil, this time with the added benefit of calendula infused!

Here is my calendula dry on the rack.

It was so dry it was very easy to remove the petals.

Here is my harvest. Isn't it pretty?

 Here you see the sweet almond oil and the calendula in my crock pot on warm.

I used a coffee filter and large funnel to let the oil slowly filter through.

 I left it to drip for several hours to get the most I could out of it. Beautiful golden color.

The oil will keep for a long time but it is best practice to try to use it up in a year. So keep planting!!

Blessings!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.