Summer Gardener’s Salve
There’s something grounding about crafting remedies while the sun simmers the garden. With crepe myrtle and comfrey both in bloom and HUGE, I’ve been infusing blooms and leaves of both in olive oil this past week, wanting to make a salve for gardening friends for this upcoming fall gardening season.
This salve began with a moment in the garden —mine and my neighbor, Tom’s. The crepe myrtles in Tom’s yard were gathered alongside bumblebees, comfrey leaves clipped while hummingbirds danced nearby. It felt more like a conversation than a harvest, a weaving of pollinators, plants, and purpose.
My olive oil infusions are ugly, but effective—just a small bottle of extra virgin olive oil stuffed to the brim with the needed vegetation. With the heat as of late, I set the bottle in the sun amongst the containered herbs and native plants, letting it soak in the sun’s heat.
I tend to filter into a pyrex measuring cup so I can get a better idea of the oil amount. Makes for an easier beeswax calculation.
✨ Summer Gardeners Salve: The Recipe
I like to work in parts—it leaves room for intuition and what the garden gives you. This batch is simple, murky in the bottle, and deeply effective once it’s set.
Ingredients:
1 part arnica-infused olive oil
1 part comfrey-infused olive oil
1 part crepe myrtle blossom-infused olive oil
Beeswax: 1 tablespoon per ½ cup of oil total (adjust for consistency) * During the hot summer, I add about a half of a tablespoon more of beeswax to the mixture to help combat the heat. In the winter/late fall/early spring, I keep it to one tablespoon.*
Warm the beeswax gently until it melts, then pour into the pyrex measuring cup, mixing with a chop stick. Once mixed, pour tins or jars to cool. You’ll end up with a soft, golden balm that smells faintly like resilience—earthy, floral, and ready to meet garden-worn skin. Feel free to add any scent you like. Rosemary and lavender essential oils are great for rough hands.
Olive oil makes a great green color
Don’t panic if the beeswax pellets (if that’s what you’re using) take a little while to melt. Just take your time and enjoy the quiet—if you’ve got it.
I finished mine today, after a week of infusing herbs with hummingbirds and bumblebees as my witnesses. It’s not pretty in the bottle—leaves jammed into olive oil like pressed thoughts—but the outcome speaks for itself.
