Calendula is the pot marigold, the orange flower that seeds itself in every cottage garden. The old herbals call it a friend to the skin, and for once the old herbals are right.
Picking
We pick the flower heads in the morning, once the dew is off, every few days from June until the first frost. Picking makes the plant flower more, so a single row gives us enough for the year.
Steeping
The heads dry for a week on paper in the old bread ovens, then go into jars of sunflower oil on the workshop windowsill for six weeks. The oil turns the colour of the flowers.
A good calendula oil is the orange of a marigold held up to the light. If it is pale, it needs another fortnight.
Making the balm
We strain the oil, warm it gently with our own beeswax, and pour it into tins while it is still liquid. That is the whole recipe: two ingredients, and a summer of patience.
Our calendula hand balm is on the shelves now, and you can make your own at a Sunday balm workshop.
