This year, I am collecting and drying calendula flowers again to make salve. I am air-drying the flowers on paper plates in a darkened room for about three weeks and then transfer them to a large mason jar for storage.

I still had dried flowers from last year (about 3 cups, loosely packed) and decided to use them up first. To make the calendula oil, I added 16 oz. of sweet almond oil to these dried flowers, covering them about 3/4 in the jars. I let them extract for seven weeks (six would have been enough), from August 7 though today, September 26.

I then strained the oil through a sieve, this time omitting the cheese cloth, as I wanted to try to minimize loss by absorption. The flowers absorb a good amount, as does the cheese cloth. From my initial 16 oz. of oil, I got around 13 oz. The flowers were densely packed in the extraction jars, so I decided to just dilute the calendula oil with pure almond oil to bring the volume back up to 16 oz.

Over a water bath, I melted 2 oz. of beeswax and 1 oz. of shea butter. Once melted, I slowly added the 16 oz. of calendula oil, making sure to not heat the oil too much. Just enough for it to melt. I then added 16 drops of essential lavender oil and filled the salve into 8 2 oz.-tins. Ready!