Simmer Potpourri
“Your house smells AMAZING!”
The best compliment ever get when anyone comes through the door. Those heavenly smells 70% of the time are coming for food on the stove or in the oven. The other 30% is the Simmer Potpourri on the stove.
Simmer pots are an easy fun way to make your whole house smell incredible. Simmer pots are a type of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is using fragrances and one’s sense of smell to adjust how they feel or provide comfort in a time of dis-ease.
Simmer potpourri is simply a pan with water and spices on your stove top. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to low to let it simmer on the stove for 3-4 hours. In the cold months of winter this will also add warmth to the home. Not sure about having your stove on that many hours? Use a crockpot or a small dip warmer and set to high for up to 6 hours. You don’t have to go buy a ton of ingredients either. In fact you probably have most, if not all of what you’ll need in your spice cupboard.
Let’s talk about types of spices.
Winter wonderland warming notes
Cardamom pods, star anise, sage, fur or pine needles, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, orange, cedar, rosemary, cranberries or candy canes.
These herbs and spices will bring warmth, and purifying properties into your home. Not to mention they smell great.
Spring and summer simmers
Cedar, peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, lemons, bee balm, grapefruit, lavender, and sassafras bark or leaves.
Herbs that come back to life in the spring and are in their fullest most bountiful state in the summer are lovely simmer potpourris. It’s important to stay in harmony with the seasons.
Follow My Recipe
Ingredients: Oranges, Oregeno, Rosemary, Sage
First I dried out the oranges because I was making a big batch of potpourri for an order. If you are going to store any of the potpourri for later you will want to make sure everything is dry so mold can’t grow. If you are just making a single batch of potpourri then using fresh ingredients is fine.
To dry out fruit, turn your oven on to 225 degrees. Place fruit on a wax paper lined flat baking pan. Lay everything out evenly with none of it overlapping. Dry in the oven for 8-12 hours or until they break in half with a good snap.
Start with filling a pan with water and putting it on the stove on high. Next cut your fruit or add your dried fruit pieces.
Now add oregano. Oregano is a powerful herb that helps our immune system stay strong. It is a common herb in Italian cooking.
Now the Rosemary. Rosemary is known for being helpful to our immune system, respiratory health, and is anti-microbial.
Add in Sage. Sage is balancing to our mood and overall disposition. In this potpourri i used fresh herbs but for my order of simmer potpourri I dried the sage. Dry sage by laying it flat on a baking sheet and putting in the over on 190 degress for 1-2 hours.
Measure these with your heart or otherwise known as the Folk Method of Herbal Preparations. Bring to a boil and enjoy.