How to make your own holiday potpourri

If you, like so many others, associate some of your best memories with your favourite smells, then you will love these holiday potpourri recipe ideas. Not only will they keep your home smelling great this festive season, but they are also extremely festive and perfect for filling your home with that holiday spirit.

Apples and spice holiday potpourri

Around this time of year, apples and various seasonal spices are perfect for your home. It will almost give visitors the impression that you have just baked something delicious in your oven. To make this potpourri, all you need to do is dry out two or three apples. Slice them very thin and place them on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 150 degrees C for 30 minutes. Next, you need to mix these dried slices (once they are cooled to room temperature) with half a cup of red carnation petals, a quarter cup of dried sweet woodruff leaves, two tablespoons of cinnamon (crumbled), one and a half tablespoons of nutmeg (grated), one tablespoon of whole cloves and one tablespoon of orange peel (julienne). Now add three drops of vanilla or cinnamon scented oil and place in a glass or ceramic dish. You can freshen your holiday porpourri up when the scent fades. All you need to do is add some more essential oil to the mix and toss it all around again.

Rose potpourri

Roses are beautiful blooms and these petals are perfect for making potpourri. To give your rose petals that festive flare, all you need is to use a combination of red, white and pink petals. You will need about four cups of petals. Place them on some newspaper and let them dry out properly before you continue making this holiday potpourri. Once the petals have an almost leathery texture, you can add approximately half a teaspoon of non-iodized course sea salt and layer your petals in a bowl. Place a plate on top to press them down and cover with foil to seal the edges. Stire the petals once a day for about two weeks. When the petals start to change colour, it’s time to mix them up with one tablespoon of crushed whole cloves, one tablespoon of cedar shavings, three crushed bay leaves, one cinnamon stick (crushed) and one teaspoon of nutmeg (shaved). Mix these together before adding 10 drops of rose oil and one teaspoon of fresh lemon zest or lemon extract to the mix. Place in a curing dish again with a plate and foil on top. Seal the edges using a rubber band. After four weeks, you can transfer the potpourri to suitable dish to display in your living room or other part of your home. If the mixture dries out eventually, freshen up by adding more rose oil.

Mulberry potpourri

This is a really easy holiday potpourri recipe but you will need a few specific ingredients. Combine three cups of rose petals and leaves with one cup of juniper berries and one cup of hibiscus flowers. Add half a cup of crushed bay leaves and a quarter cup of ground star anise. Add two tablespoons of orris root and then add about fifteen drops of mulberry scented oil. Mix it all together and place in a few glass containers before sealing them. You can store this mixture for up to six weeks in a dark place. You should shake it up once a day to keep the scent fresh.

There you have three easy holiday potpourri recipes. In general, potpourri is quite flexible and you can play around with various materials and essential oils. It’s always worth experimenting to find out which ones you like the most. Remember, they make great holiday gifts too.