{ Pictured: Calendulas in our garden. The daily yield may be relatively low, but bit by bit we fill jars one after another and make the calendula oil our family needs as well as oil to give away to friends.. }
For some weeks now, since the calendulas in the garden began bringing forth flowers, my youngest and I have established a daily ritual. He asks to be let in the garden (the gate is too high for him to reach). Either his brother or myself let him in, and then he does his daily garden duties that he has volunteered to take on by himself! He picks the calendula flowers that are open that day, and then goes to the raspberry bushes to look for any raspberries that may be there waiting for him! Last year it was comfrey: He harvested the large leaves close to the base of the plants on his own, and brought them to me to wash, and put them in the rack for drying. For some reason this year he is more excited about calendulas. So am I! Today he and I finished filling our first jar, and tomorrow’s garden harvest will mark the start of another season!
{ Pictured: The calendulas infusing the oil with their properties. While the jar is being filled in daily portions from the garden, I gradually add more olive oil so that the flowers remain covered with oil. Five days after the jar is filled the cheesecloth is replaced by a normal lid, and the jar is put on the sill of a South facing window. After that, the occasional shake for the next 4-6 weeks and our oil is infused and ready to be decanted. }
We are almost out of calendula salves, and our calendula oil supply is pretty low. I am looking forward to having my new calendula oil ready and being able to start making these extra nourishing salves that can soothe the skin from so many different uncomfortable conditions. In the meantime, I am enjoying the daily calendula ritual with my son and the beautiful colors of the flowers in the olive oil! It takes quite a few daily calendula harvests to make a jar of calendula oil, but, as we say in Greece, “bean by bean the sack fills up”*!
* Greek: φασούλι το φασούλι γεμίζει το σακούλι