What You Need:

• dried calendula flowers (enough to fill one half pint glass canning jar)
• cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 vitamin E capsules
• 2 half pint glass canning jars with metal canning lid (1 for making it and 1 for storing it)
• a crock-pot that has a warm setting
• thermometer
• water
• stainless steel strainer
• cheese cloth
• bowl for straining the oil

Procedure:

1. Fill half pint jar about 80% with dried calendula flowers.
2. Pour olive oil on flowers until they are completely covered with olive oil, and then some.
3. Seal jar with metal canning lid.
4. Place jar in crock-pot. Add enough water to surround the jar in about a 1 inch water bath.
5. Turn crock-pot on warm, and note the time.
6. Periodically check the temperature of the water bath, ensuring it stays around 100°F. If the temperature goes a little too high, add ice.
7. After 48 hours, turn off crock-pot and remove jar from the water bath. The metal lid might be hot and you may need to use a pot holder.
8. Set up a stainless steel strainer to rest over a bowl. Place cheesecloth inside the strainer, making a double filter. Pour the flower and oil mixture through this set-up. What gets in the bowl is your calendula infused olive oil.
9. Transfer calendula infused olive oil to a clean half pint canning jar. Add 1-2 vitamin E capsules. If oil is not used right away, place a metal canning lid on it, and store it in the refrigerator.

Notes:

• To make more than what 1 half pint glass canning jar can make, double, triple, or quadruple the recipe above. You can have more than one jar in the crock-pot at a time, as long as it all fits in there.
• One half pint glass canning jar will lose about 25 mL of olive oil in the process, since both the calendula flowers and the cheese cloth absorb the oil.