Simmering Potpourri

Simmering Potpourri
Written By Kristin Speegle

There is something about simmering potpourri and the way it feels magical when on the stove. Not only does the smell bring nostalgic feelings into the home, but the feel of something simmering on the stove instills even more scented memories to life. Here are some of my favorite recipes for simmering potpourri for the Holiday season running from October to February. You can dry the fruits and keep in a jar or bag so it will keep for a long time, or you can use fresh fruit. If drying the fruits, it is recommended to use a dehydrator or a convection oven at a low temperature. You can add in anything you like as additional to spice it up such as star anise, sticks (yes, I said sticks), and other scents. I love the beauty of adding in different elements to the simmer pot. These are some bases you can begin to work with for different scents.

Apple Pie

  • Apples - any type

  • Cranberries - you can leave these out if you like. I like the pop of red berries it brings to it

  • Cinnamon Stick - you only need 1, these are pretty strong. I also like to dust some of the apples with fine cinnamon

  • Pine or Cedar Leaves - you can leave these out, but I like the pop of green freshness it brings

  • Rosemary Springs - I add in a few to give it a slightly fresh woody scent

  • If you would like to add in diffuser oils, you can drip some on top of the cinnamon stick in apple scent, apple pie scent, or anything similar. This gives an deeper scent to the simmering potpourri.

Caramel Apple

  • The only difference in this one versus Apple Pie is that I would add in vanilla scents to the Apple Pie to bring in a sweeter scent.

  • Add in: Vanilla extract or vanilla bean to give a caramel sweet scent to the apples

Fall Citrus

  • Oranges - any type

  • Cloves - only a few

  • Cinnamon Stick - you only need 1, these are pretty strong. I also like to dust some of the apples with fine cinnamon

  • Pine or Cedar Leaves - you can leave these out, but I like the pop of green freshness it brings

  • Sprig of Thyme - I like the additional slightly spicy scent Thyme gives in Fall Citrus

  • If you would like to add in diffuser oils, you can drip some on top of the cinnamon stick. Recommended scents would be: orange, pine, woody, southern scents.

Warm Mandarin Lime

  • The only difference in this one versus Fall Citrus is that I add in limes to this one. Recommended diffuser scents would be lime, orange, pine, wood, southern mint scents

Kristin Speegle
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