The Journey… From Our Garden to Your Skin

1. Sowing the Seeds
In spring, we sow calendula seeds in our gardens in Sligo and Co. Offaly. These cheerful flowers love sunny spots and well-drained soil, and they grow happily with just a little care. Often, in Ireland,, they self-seed and return the following year a gift from the garden that keeps on giving.

2. Nurturing the Plants
As the seedlings take root, we keep the soil healthy and give them water in dry spells. Once they bloom, calendula rewards us with a carpet of golden flowers that brighten the garden for months. I have them outside, but if you keep them in a tunnel they last even longer.

3. Harvesting the Blooms
We handpick the flowers at their peak, usually in the morning when the petals are fresh and fully open. The more we harvest, the more calendula blossoms a generous cycle of renewal.

4. Drying the Petals
The petals are carefully dried to preserve their vibrant colour and beneficial properties. This step ensures we can use calendula throughout the year, long after the garden has gone quiet.

5. Infusing the Oil
The dried petals are slowly infused into plant oils over several weeks. This gentle process draws out calendula’s renowned soothing and skin-loving qualities, producing a golden, nourishing oil.

 

6. Creating the Products
This infused oil becomes the heart of our handmade products, like balms and face oils. Each batch is crafted in small quantities, blending calendula with natural butters, oils, and botanicals so the goodness of the garden is carried into every product, but mostly balms, body butters and face oil. We use calendula in our soaps too, but this one we get it from local supliers.