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Calendula Cream Recipe To Make at Home

Are you looking for an all-natural, thick and creamy body butter? Make Calendula cream or body butter at home – it is easy and affordable.

Commonly known as Pot Marigold, Calendula Officinalis comes in as many as twenty varieties of shrubs, perennials, and annuals. A native flower of Egypt and the Mediterranean parts of Europe, it arrived in North America with the pioneers and is now a common ornamental flower in gardens and flower pots across this continent.

Calendula Body Butter Recipe

Calendula cream is a topical skin cream whose main ingredient is the flower of the genus Calendula (species Calendula officinalis ). As more and more people choose to use natural and herbal remedies over chemical and synthetic skin care products, lotions, ointments, and creams, Calendula cream is a popular option as a skin therapy cream.

This dry skin cream is effective at combating excema due to the anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties of the Calendula flowers. It is becoming increasingly popular with mothers of newborns dealing with babies and dry skin, and now baby calendula cream and baby calendula ointment is often available at drug stores and pharmacies.

Due to its healing properties, calendula cream is also gaining notice as an alternative to aloe vera gel. Note: Calendula is a daisy-like flower, and is NOT of the same family as the native American Marigold. Calendula should NOT be ingested if you are pregnant.

Calendula Officinalis Through the Ages

The name Calendula comes from the Latin word kalendae, meaning first day of the month. The flowers were so named as they often appear to bloom at the beginning of the month in the Roman calendar. Used as far back as the time of the Saxons, they referred to Calendula as ymbglidegold, meaning “turns with the sun”, also referring to the regular blooming. The common name of Pot Marigold is thought to be derived from this Saxon word, but is also explained as a reference to the Virgin Mary, as the early follower’s of Christ referred to it as Mary’s Gold. References to Calendula appear in Roman, Egyptian, and Greek ancient works. Pot marigold petals were used by doctors during the American Civil War and World War I as a topical applicant to help slow the bleeding of the wounded. Introduced to India by the Portuguese, the orange and yellow petals of Calendula decorate Hindu shrines and holy temples and are a common ornament at Hindu weddings.

Uses of Calendula Cream and Calendula Oil

Calendula can be used for the following:

  • diaper rash
  • dry skin
  • chapped lips
  • eczemacalendula cream
  • burns
  • sunburn
  • scars
  • scrapes
  • chafed skin
  • scalds
  • athlete’s foot
  • stretch marks
  • face cream
  • bee stings
  • rashes
  • chicken pox
  • acne
  • pimples and boils
  • sore nipples from breast-feeding
  • minor abrasions
  • skin dermatitis

Recipe for Calendula Cream or Calendula Body Butter

Calendula cream can be made at home using this simple recipe – only 3 ingredients!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces (60 grams) of dried calendula flowers

18 ounces (500 grams) of organic vegetable shortening*

1 1/2 teaspoons of organic beeswax (available from your local health food store)

*Note: you can make Calendula Cream with clear or creamy petroleum jelly instead of the organic vegetable shortening if you wish. I have also heard of recipes that use a block of Crisco! The idea is to use something creamy as a base.

Combine dried flowers, beeswax, and shortening in a large, non-metallic bowl. Heat over boiling water for approximately 2 hours, but don’t allow the mixture to boil, just warm slowly and gently, and keep stirring to mix the flowers and beeswax in well – you don’t want any waxy lumps. Pour (while still warm) into clean, dark glass jars. Allow to cool, uncovered. Store in a cool location.

Recipe for Calendula Essential Oil

Calendula Oil can be used as for treating acne, eczema, diaper rash, and extremely dry skin. Here are two options for making Calendula Essential Oil at home:

Calendula Oil Recipe

9 ounces (250 grams) of dried Calendula Flowers OR 27 ounces (750 grams) of fresh Calendula Flowers

17 ounces (500 mls) of organic grapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil

Heat these ingredients together in a double boiler or a bowl over boiling water for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly, then pour into dark glass jar.

How to Make Calendula Oil Using the Immersion Method

This is the preferred method as there is no heating involved! Using the same ingredients as above, fill a large glass jar (the big pickle jars are great) with flowers. Cover with oil, and add a few drops of your favourite essential oils if you like. Cover and place on a sunny window ledge for 2-3 weeks. Your oil will now be ready to use. If you prefer a more concentrated oil, replace the flowers with fresh ones and leave for another 2-3 weeks.

Growing Calendula in Your Home or Garden

Calendula or Pot Marigold is hardy, easy to grow, and useful to have in your home garden, or even in a container on your patio or front porch. Buy a package of seeds, plant them in the pot or ground, water them, and watch them grow. Calendula grows best in a sunny location,and can be planted outdoors from early spring onwards (note: I am in Canada and this works well here). The seeds are large, easy to see, and your seedlings will generally start to flower about one-and-a-half months after you plant them.

Blackstrap Molasses: A Healthy and Nutritious Addition to an Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookie Recipe


blackstrap molassesAs a child, my mother used to give us a spoon of molasses when we were feeling tired and rundown. I remember looking at the shiny black goo on the spoon and thinking that I was going to either vomit or die from it. Neither happened. Generally, I felt better. Whether this was due to the molasses, the threat of more molasses, or just time passing, my mother was on to something. High in mineral content, blackstrap molasses is enjoying renewed interest as a natural supplement, natural sweetener, as a natural remedy for a variety of ailments.

What is blackstrap molasses?

Blackstrap molasses definition – [blak-strap] – noun – molasses remaining after maximum extraction of sugar from the raw product, used chiefly as a constituent of cattle feed and as a source of ethyl alcohol. – from Random House Dictionary, 2011.

Molasses is the by-product that results from boiling down sugar cane to extract sugar. There are different types of molasses; the taste,consistency, and nutritional value differs depends on which “boiling” the molasses is from. Blackstrap molasses is from the third boiling of sugar cane,and is darker and has a stronger flavour than the molasses produced from the first and second boilings. Blackstrap molasses is also higher in vitamins and minerals than the lighter, sweeter molasses that is produced in the first two boilings. Popular in the 18th and 19th century as a more economical alternative to white sugar (more refined and therefore more expensive), molasses was first brought to western society from the Caribbean sugar plantations. The unusual flavour of blackstrap molasses gives cooking and baking a unique, rich taste.

Nutritional Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses

Molasses is a natural source of

  • iron
  • copper
  • manganese
  • magnesium
  • potassium
  • calcium
  • vitamin B6
  • selenium

One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses is packed with vitamins and minerals, and taking just one tablespoon each day will provide a good portion of the recommended daily value of each of them. In fact, one tablespoon has approximately 4 mg of iron and 47 calories, while a three ounce portion of beef has only 3.1 mg of iron and 215 calories. This makes blackstrap molasses an excellent choice for weight loss, for vegans and vegetarians, pregnant, nursing, or menopausal women, and for anemia sufferers. Molasses with milk is a good way to boost absorption of calcium as well. A tablespoon of blackstrap molasses each day will provide the following:

  • 27 percent of the daily recommended amount of manganese;
  • 21 percent of copper;
  • 20 percent of iron;
  • 18 percent of calcium;
  • 15 percent potassium;
  • 11 percent of magnesium.

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919

Perhaps one of the most unique stories about molasses is that of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. It occurred when a very large vat of molasses exploded, sending over 2 million tons of molasses sliding through downtown Boston. Twenty-one people lost their lives in the disaster.

Blackstrap Molasses as a Remedy

Brimstone and treacle was a common remedy for stomach upsets and “spots” (acne) in Britain through the 1800s. Made famous in the Victorian novels of Charles Dickens, the term “brimstone and treacle” refers to sulfer and blackstrap molasses. A teaspoon a day of the mixture was said to “fix what ails ye.” Some of the other ailments blackstrap molasses is said to help include

  • arthritis
  • anemia
  • acne
  • anxiety
  • constipation
  • heart palpitations
  • joint pain
  • fatigue
  • high blood pressure
  • skin conditions
  • regulate menstrual cycles
  • fibroid tumours
  • edema

Today blackstrap molasses is used increasingly in Colon Cleansing or detoxifying programs. It is also rumoured to help reduce the appearance of white hair.

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919

Perhaps one of the most unique stories about molasses is that of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. It occurred when a very large vat of molasses exploded, sending over 2 million tons of molasses sliding through downtown Boston. Twenty-one people lost their lives in the disaster.

Nutritional Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses

Molasses is a natural source of

  • iron
  • copper
  • manganese
  • magnesium
  • potassium
  • calcium
  • vitamin B6
  • selenium

One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses is packed with vitamins and minerals, and taking just one tablespoon each day will provide a good portion of the recommended daily value of each of them. In fact, one tablespoon has approximately 4 mg of iron and 47 calories, while a three ounce portion of beef has only 3.1 mg of iron and 215 calories. This makes blackstrap molasses an excellent choice for weight loss, for vegans and vegetarians, pregnant, nursing, or menopausal women, and for anemia sufferers. Molasses with milk is a good way to boost absorption of calcium as well. A tablespoon of blackstrap molasses each day will provide the following:

    • 27 percent of the daily recommended amount of manganese;
    • 21 percent of copper;
    • 20 percent of iron;
    • 18 percent of calcium;
    • 15 percent potassium;
    • 11 percent of magnesium.

Today blackstrap molasses is used increasingly in Colon Cleansing or detoxifying programs. It is also rumoured to help reduce the appearance of white hair.

Cooking and Baking with Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses can be eaten straight out of the carton, cooked, or baked. It is very good spread on homemade bread with a little butter, or added to a cup of hot soya milk, tea, coffee, or organic milk as an alternative sweetener to white sugar. It is most commonly used in recipes for baked beans, gingerbread, and cookies. When cooking or baking with blackstrap molasses, take care to avoid boiling it as it will lose some of it’s nutritional value in doing so.

Recipe for Blackstrap Molasses Cookies

blackstrap molasses cookiesSet oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup organic brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup organic vegetable shortening
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured organic blackstrap molasses
  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 1/4 cup sifted all-nature unbleached flour
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 2 level tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt

Mix brown sugar, molasses, shortening and egg together in a large bowl.  Sift remaining ingredients together and add to molasses mixture. Mix gently, cover and chill dough in fridge for about 30 minutes.  Roll into small balls.  Dip tops of cookie balls in brown sugar.  Place sugar-side-up, three inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle a couple of drops of water on the cookies to get a crackled effect during baking.  Bake 10-12 minutes just until set.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies and they freeze well!

Tip for Measuring Molasses

If you are cooking or baking with molasses, honey, or any other thick, sticky, syrup, swirl a little vegetable oil around the glass measuring cup prior to measuring the molasses. The oil will keep the molasses from sticking to the glass and speed up the pouring out process!

Tips & Tricks for Buying Blackstrap Molasses

Not all blackstrap molasses is created equal. Read the label on the jars or cartons and compare the percentages of vitamins and minerals per tablespoon. Look for unsulfered organic blackstrap molasses. Sulfers are additives that are used to preserve foods, and while only some people have noticeable physical reactions to sulfers, they aren’t good for anyone. Organic molasses has been produced from sugar cane that was grown in mineral-rich soil without the use of harmful chemicals and will be free of defoliant chemicals (used by sugar cane producers to make the leaves fall off the sugar cane more quickly). Once opened, store your molasses in the fridge or a cool dry place for up to six months, and be prepared, it will pour out even more slowly when it is cold!

Where Can I Find Blackstrap Molasses?

While molasses is commonly found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores and supermarkets, not all of them carry blackstrap molasses. Check your local natural foods or health foods store, or a bulk-bin style grocery store.

 

Organic Grapeseed Oil

 

Grapeseed oil comes from byproducts of winemaking, and is used today in cooking, baking, and healthy and beauty treatments. Once the grapes are crushed and juice extracted for wine, the fleshy fruit and seeds that are left is called pomace. Instead of being used for compost or simply thrown out, organic grape seed oil is produced.

Organic Grapeseed Oil Good For Cooking at High Temperatures

Lighter in flavor than olive oil, grapeseed oil is popular with cooks and chefs because of its very high smoking point of about 216 degrees Celsius, which makes it a good choice for deep frying and sauteing. As it has a mild, somewhat nutty flavor it also lends itself well as a base for herb salad dressing recipes.

Use this oil for cooking, baking, and in cosmetics  for hair and skin. Recently, grapeseed oil has been attracting increased interest for its health benefits.

Rich in Anti-oxidants

Rich in anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids, studies show health benefits of grapeseed oil include a reduced risk of heart disease as well as naturally rejuvenating aging skin. It can help slow the signs of aging by minimizing wrinkles and fine lines naturally. Containing oleic, linolec, palmitric and stearic acids, it is becoming more and more popular with women over forty who are looking for all natural anti-aging products.

Remember, when applying anything to your skin you want it to be easily absorbed rather than sitting on your face and possibly clogging your pores, causing pimples,and/or blemishes. And if something is going to be absorbed into your skin it should be all-natural and free of chemicals. Here are some of the cosmetics containing grapeseed oil, many of which can be made at home.

    • Massage oil
    • Bath oil
    • Sunscreen
    • Lip Balms
    • Body Lotion
    • Facial Lotion – locks in moisture
    • Acne treatment – it is mildly astringent and has anti-inflammatory properties
    • Eye Creams – helps slow the signs of aging skin

Organic Grapeseed Oil Moisturizer Recipe

Try this at home – be sure to store it in the fridge in a dark glass jar, and use it within the week.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon Cold Pressed Organic Grapeseed Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Organic Honey – preferably a medium to dark honey
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Mix all together, and apply as needed. Try lime juice if you prefer. If you use buckwheat honey, you may find the smell a little strong.

Storing Grapeseed Oil

Buy cold pressed grapeseed oil only, especially for cooking. As chemicals can be used to extract the grapeseeds from the pomace on the winepress, ensure you are buying cooking grade grapeseed oil as opposed to the oil that is sold for cosmetic purposes.

Store your organic oils in a dark, glass bottle in a cool dark place such as a cold cellar or a refrigerator.

Baking With Organic Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is a healthy alternative to vegetable oils in baking.  As it has a very mild, nutty flavour, it’s great in cakes, muffins, and pies.

Grapeseed oil is now widely available in your local large-chain grocery stores, as well as specialty cooking stores and health food markets.  If you live in a rural area, you may prefer to buy your organic grapeseed oil online.  Beware of buying in bulk though; remember that cold pressed oils can turn rancid if not properly stored, and you may not be able to use all of yours prior to it going bad.