Seasonal Simmer Potpourri
Gift giving goes hand in hand with the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank. One of the easiest (and sweetest) things you could do this time of year is gift someone your own handmade creation. For Episode 2 of Crafts, Cocktails, and Conversation with Carmeon Hamilton, we made a Seasonal Simmer Potpourri, which has become very popular over the last few years.
They make your home smell ah-mazing, serve as a natural way to freshen the air without using any chemicals, and they also add a little moisture and humidity to the air, which is needed during cold and dry Winter months. It’s such a lovely, thoughtful gift that everyone will love; their homes will feel so cozy!
They’re also very easy to assemble!
Here’s what you need:
Dried citrus fruit (we used oranges and grapefruit)
Cinnamon sticks
Bay leaves
Star of Anise
Rosemary Sprigs
Cranberries
Cellophane Gift Bags
Gift Tags
Ribbon
First things first: for maximum aroma, you want to start with fresh fruit and spices for your simmer potpourri. This means using whole spices and not ground (trust us; you don’t want your spices sticking to the bottom of your pot).
To dry out your fruit (this makes batching easy and you get more bang for your buck vs. gifting whole pieces of fruit):
Slice fruit and lightly pat dry with a paper towel to remove extra moisture.
Place slices in a single layer on a rack placed over a baking sheet.
If your oven can go down to 180, bake for 4-6 hours at that temp. If not, just preheat oven to 300, place rack in the oven, turn oven off, and let dry out overnight.
Once fruit has cooled and dried, begin assembling your gift bags. That’s it!
If you’re gifted a seasonal simmer, just add components to water as needed and allow it to simmer on the stove on low heat uncovered. These pots are good for a few days, so just add mixture to a glass cup or jar and place in the fridge in between uses.