Calendula

It stopped raining today long enough for the calendula flowers to dry off so that I could pick some to dry and make into calendula oil.

Last year I just used the petals, but this year I decided to try using the whole flowers since there are medicinal compounds in the waxes that coat the sepals. But before I left my allotment I pulled up all the yellow calendula flowers, so that only the orange ones would go to seed. There are more medicinal properties in the orange flowers, the more orange the better.

Calendula flowers ready laid out to dry

These calendula flowers have been drying for a few days. They made a better oil if they have been dried before immersing them into sunflower oil.