Coconut & Calendula

We've been so fortunate to have some warm and sunny weather lately! I sometimes have to stop and remind myself that Christmas will be here before we know it. There's a couple of secret projects I've been working on that I really can't post.... yet. But in the meantime, I wanted to share a little salve I made for the winter.... ya know, chapped hands, dry skin, dry feet... The amazing thing, this little concoction does so much more than that! Our puppy Charlie, who is actually a full grown German Shepherd, has a bit of an allergy problem come Fall and Spring. His skin gets soooo dry, itchy, and flakey. We tried eeeeeverything from food changes to supplements to conditioners. And would you believe it, that this little homemade cream of calendula and coconut oil did the trick? Ya, I couldn't believe it myself. No more itchy, dry skin for Charlie! Even the vet said his skin looks so much better than before!

All you need is 2 cups of dried calendula flowers, 1 cup coconut oil, a cooking pot, 1 unbleached coffee filter, a jar for storing, a wooden skewer, & a stainless steel strainer. (Optional ~ 4 drops of a preferred essential oil )

On a low flame, fry up all those calendula flowers for at least 5 minutes. If you start to hear popping, your flame is too high. The longer you can fry them, the more potent the oil. And just an fyi ~ fried calendula flowers don't smell too pleasant.

Take your metal strainer and place the coffee filter inside. Slowly pour your oil into the storing jar. It doesn't need to be colored glass. (I re-used a blue glass jar from some skin cream I used up. Just make sure to disinfect and clean any jar prior to use, regardless of it's previous contents!)

Last, add 4 drops of preferred essential oil and blend with a wooden skewer. I used Eucalyptus because I love the way it smells and it's also known for it's antiseptic properties.

How easy was that? Just pop it in the fridge to harden and you're all done!

Now, I know you've heard me rant about this herb a million times here, but seriously it works. Calendula is considered an annual plant in most parts of the states but it is extremely easy to plant from seed. You know something is good when you've watched it bloom from June to November non-stop... in Ohio! The only down side... you need to harvest the blooms quickly because it's not a long flowering plant. And the more you pick, the more flowers you will get. It's nothing short of amazing.... It's kinda like the goodness just keeps coming and more of it each time!

On another note.... Fall planting was a go and I've decided to keep a whole bed in the garden just of garlic! We (kids included) love it too much! The potted plants are officially indoors and once again the house looks like a wild jungle! Is it crazy if I mention I can't wait for Christmas decorating???

~ Here's to the good things we create! ~

Happy Trails till next time!

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