Serves: 5
Total Calories: 3,861
Yield: 2 Cups

1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar or wine
5 cloves garlic thickly sliced
2-3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
2-3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
3 calendula flower heads
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, Basil Oil, or Garlic Basil Oil

1. Place the tomatoes and vinegar in a bowl. Stirring occasionally, marinate for two hours, or until the tomatoes absorb most of the vinegar and soften.

2. Add the garlic, basil, and oregano. Toss in the calendula flowers whole, or gently remove the petals before adding them to the bowl along with the flower centers. Mix the ingredients well.

3. Transfer the mixture to a clean pint jar, and add enough oil to cover. 4. Store in the kitchen pantry, where it will keep for at least a year.

For a Change . . .
• Substitute garlic chive flowers or coarsely chopped garlic scapes for the garlic cloves.
• Layer the ingredients directly in the jar, instead of mixing them in a bowl first.
• Add 1 tablespoon fresh thyme to the mixture.
• Omit the calendula flowers.

TIP . . .
When adding edible flowers to salads or sandwiches, choose only varieties that come from an organic garden, have been grown in the wild, or come in a package labeled “pesticide-free.” They are the safest to eat and the most flavorful.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 5
Total Calories: 3,861
Calories from Fat: 3,840

More Recipes from the Going Wild in the Kitchen Cookbook:
Go Wild with Salads and "Wraps" Mix and Match
Corn Salad with Strawberries, Chevre, and Raspberry Vinaigrette
Feta Cheese Salad
White Bean Salad with Fresh Fennel and Capers
Japanese Sea Vegetable and Noodle Salad
Quinoa Tabouli
Crisp Cababge Salad with Watercress and Caraway Seeds
More Creative Salad Ideas
Marinated Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Calendula Flowers
Feta Cheese Salad with Kamut Pasta
Marinated Red Peppers with Lemon and Garlic
Seitan Quesadillas
Cabbage, Scallion, and Cilantro Egg Rolls
Baked Ginger-Arame Rolls
Potato-Olive Knishes
Curried Vegetable Knishes with Chickpeas
Melted Goat Cheese Sandwich with Arugula and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Ginger Tempeh Sushi