Moonchild (Cowtown, Switzerland) on 02/15/2012

I make the oil myself, from flowers grown in my garden, but I'm sure you can buy calendula oil easily. I fill a jar with dried petals, cover with extra virgin olive oil, and sit it in a sunny spot until it turns orange (4 to 7 days or so). In summer, I add hemp leaves, for an anti-itch formula for insect bites. For winter, I add a few caps of vitamin E. Afterwards, I strain it through old pantyhose ('cause I'm cheap like that), label with the ingredients and date, and store it in the cellar.

To make the salve from the oil, I warm up 250 dl (about a cup) of the oil in a heat-proof measuring cup set into a pan of water on the stove. I add 50 g (1. 75 oz) of natural beeswax and let it melt. Give it a little stir, and pour into small jars. (I recycle face cream jars and sample-size jelly jars. ) This amount will fill about 5 1-oz jars. I wait until they cool before putting the lids on to prevent condensation.

It is also possible to add other oils and/or scents, either as flowers during the oil-making process or as essential oil during the salve-making process. I like to add lavender to the hemp formula, because I don't like the smell of the hemp, and also because of lavender's antiseptic properties.

The salve will be good for about a year after you open it. When the color fades, it's time for a new batch.