DIY Potpourri Recipes for Christmas

History of Potpourri

Table of Contents

DIY Citrus, Cinnamon and Clove Potpourri mix

Potpourri, derived from the word pot-pourri in French, is an ancient scent recipe that has been in practice since the 17th century. Potpourri is solely based on natural ingredients and was a staple in many residential households. The French would lay freshly forages herbs and flowers down and wait until they turned limp. The herbs would then get a good sprinkling of coarse salt, followed by many more layers of herbs, flowers, and salt crystals. Occasional stirring would be in order with every additional layer that made its way into the mix. As summer would pass, the mixture would ferment and mold. In fall, a variety of spices and natural fixatives would be incorporated into the mix and tossed around until it gave off a desirable fragrance.

However, modern potpourri mixes have strong artificial scents and are composed of ingredients unrelated to the fragrance profile. Some of these constituents could be fragrance-free barks, seed pods, and husks. Modern potpourri variants also fall on the cheaper end of the scale, and companies that manufacture premium mixes are often overpriced. Thankfully, Christmas has arrived early in our studio, and we have a couple of easy-breezy recipes that you can make at home with minimum effort.

Boiled or dry? Which road do I take?

There are two ways to make fragrant potpourri – Boiled and dried. Dried mixes are ones that you find on the market and have a minimum moisture content and a high shelf life. Dry mixes can also be revived with essential oil or potpourri sprays, keeping your home smelling great for months!

Boiled mixes often have fresh ingredients such as apple slices, orange slices, citrus peels, cinnamon sticks, anise; the list is endless. All you need is a crockpot or a deep pan, and your house is ready to smell like Christmas!

If you’re late for dry potpourri prep, a boiled one is the way to go. Read ahead to find your speed this Christmas season!

DIY Citrus, Cinnamon and Clove Potpourri mix

Citrus fruits are perfect for this recipe, and you can pick your favourite, be it orange, sweet lime, or even grapefruit. Oranges do have a strong fragrance and make for perfect potpourri ingredients.

Ingredients:

Citrus fruit (oranges, sweet lime, grapefruit, etc.)
Citrus extract
Cloves
Clove oil
Star anise
Cinnamon sticks
Cinnamon powder
Nutmeg pods
Orris root powder (Optional fixative)

Method of Preparation:

Cut your choice of citrus fruit into slices and save peels from your citrus fruits as well.
Dry the slices and peels in direct sunlight/ an oven/ dehydrator. Ensure that the cuts are well dehydrated to prevent rotting or mold.
Add clove oil, citrus extract, and a good sprinkling of cinnamon powder into a bag and combine with citrus slices, spices, and peels. Give it a good toss to coat all the dry ingredients in the fragrant concoction.
You can add orris root powder while adding in the spice powders and oils to prolong the fragrance. However, cloves are fixatives in their own accord and have long been in use as fixatives.
Store the mix in a jar and save it until your next use.

It is preferable to put the potpourri mix into a bowl with a perforated lid and set it in an open space.

DIY Apple, Cinnamon and orange boil

Boiling is a great way to get your house smelling warm and comforting, mostly when you’ve forgotten to prepare in advance. Boiling is also a great way to revive old and dry potpourri mixes.

Ingredients: