HerbDried petal
Calendula
Calendula officinalis
Pot marigold petals for oil, a bright tea, and the salad bowl.
Calendula is the pot marigold, not the florist marigold. The petals color oil gold and look kind on a plate. An infused oil is a simple home project: dry petals, a jar, and time.
Traditional uses
- Petals scattered on salads or rice
- A mild, slightly peppery tea
- A slow olive-oil infusion for dry skin (external)
How to prepare
- 1
Tea: 1–2 tsp dried petals per cup, 8 minutes, strain.
- 2
Oil: fill a clean dry jar halfway with fully dried petals, cover with olive oil, two to four weeks in a cupboard, strain. Label the date.
- 3
Petals must be bone-dry before they meet oil, or the jar can spoil.
Kitchen & home
- Grow it in poor soil; it asks for little.
- The oil is for skin, not the frying pan.
- A few petals in a jar of salt make a yellow finishing salt.
Go gently
- Daisy-family allergy applies here too.
- Infused oil is a home cosmetic, not a medicine.
