Wow, this year Our Farm was determined to grow enough calendula to make salves, tea, infused oil, etc. The decision was made to plant a larger crop of this versatile herb. We did and they are flourishing along with calendula volunteers, flowers that reseeded themselves from last year’s crop! We have so many gorgeous flowers!
Calendual is harvested on a daily basis. Once the dew dries off of the blooms they get picked. This daily vigil encourages more blooms to set. One amazing benefit is the sticky resin left on your fingers when harvesting. This stickiness is the antifungal property of this amazing plant. I wrote a song for my kids when they were young about sticky fingers but I won’t sing it for you now. I do think of it and hum it to myself when picking (hee hee).
I can’t say enough about calendula. It is an herb that can be used for medicinal purposes, infused into oil, used to make tea and it is also edible! In years past I have used infused calendula oil to make a healing salve. which we have used to heal dry skin, open wounds and other irritations. It is also easy to make your own using one of my favorite recipes from Homestead and Chill. This year we will be using some of these golden flowers to make tea, infused oil for salad dressings, and using the blossoms as garnishes on our food. This herb also aids in digestion, helps reduce fevers, and works as an antiinflammatory agent. There is so much more I can say about it. Visit Homestead and Chill as a resource for more information.
Come by anytime if you want to pick some blooms and experiment on your own.