Continually updated and expanded, the site is worth a frequent look. It's hard to have a favorite flower, since so many are ravishingly beautiful. They are a modest, sunny little flower, a hardy annual that willingly reseeds itself. Cooks starting with the ancient Greeks garnished and flavored foods with their golden petals. The petals may be sprinkled into salads and omelets, or steeped as tea.
Herbalists consider calendula a rejuvenating herb.
In fact, the flowers contain antiseptic, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties that promote healing. A compress of the petals takes down the pain and swelling from insect stings and sunburn. I've grown calendulas for years, and my garden is full of sturdy volunteers in shades of yellow, gold, and russet. I love to cut the flowers and combine them with anything lavender or purple. Last year I packed calendula blossoms into a canning jar, covered them with olive oil, and let them steep for a month.