How To Eat Calendula

How Do You Prepare Calendula For Consumption?

Considering you've grown organic calendula in your garden, you can harvest your own calendula blooms. Simply pick or cut the flower where it meets the stem. Why harvest your own calendula blooms? You can get fresh, organic flowers for a variety of uses. Simply pick or cut the flower where it meets its stem and use them fresh or let them dry.

You can get the full benefits of calendula by drying the petals and using them long term. You can dry calendula petals by picking a flower and putting it on a paper towel and simply letting them dry naturally.

Before you bring your flowers inside after harvesting them, let them sit outside after you trim them to let any bugs escape that might have been living in the petals. I like to keep them in my harvest basket which makes it easy for bugs to leave on their own peacefully.

Do not run petals under water unless you plan to use them that day. They will wilt almost immediately if rinsed in water.

The dried petals can be used to steep tea, make DIY Nature Flower Sprinkles, infuse in honey, and make calendula tea. If you are making calendula tea you can also use fresh flowers as garnish.

How to Make Calendula Tea 

Here are the simple steps for making calendula tea:

1. Bring water to a boil
2. Add about two teaspoons of dried flowers to a tea infuser or teapot
3. Pour hot water over the leaves and allow it to steep for 10 minutes
4. Strain and add any type of flavoring you'd like such as cinnamon, vanilla, honey, etc.

How to Store Calendula

For an entire guide, read our post on How to store and preserve edible flowers. But in short,

Store calendula products in a dry, dark place free of moisture in an airtight container.

Frequently asked questions:

Is there another name for Calendula?

Calendulas is also commonly called marigold, and you may see the names used interchangably.

What plant family is Calendula?

The most commonly cultivated and used member of the genus is Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold. Popular herbal and cosmetic products named "Calendula" invariably derive from C. officinalis. 

Safety tips:

You should not use calendula if you are allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigold, or plants in the Asteraceae/Compositae family, as it could cause you to have an allergic reaction.

People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should also not use calendula because it can change their hormone levels and may even cause a period.

Calendula recipes:

• Marigold Tea
• Butternut squash and marigold soup
• Calendula infused oil
• Calendula paella

Resources that may interest you:

Edible Flowers And Their Meaning Free Chart + Poster Download

Edible flowers list with pictures and their meaning -free printable chart

Tools for harvesting your garden flowers

Make floral and herbal tea blends

How to grow an herbal tea garden