A Pot Pourri Recipe

Pot-pourri a mixture of dried flowers, herbs, spices and oils that are used to deodorise homes.

Flowers

Flowers are certainly the most important ingredient of pot pourri. Many florists sell packets of dry flower petals, or you can dry them yourself. Use any flower that has a pleasant and/or strong scent. Roses, violets, jasmine and forget-me-nots are the more popular flowers used in pot pourri. Pick your preferred flowers and separate the petals, shaking off as much moisture as possible. Place the flowers in a flat box, with about 1/2 cup of salt (to about 7 cups of petals). The ideal place to dry petals would be under a bed, as long as it is well ventilated. Shake the petals around every 2 hours or so. It may take 2 - 3 days for the petals to dry.

Leaves

My favorite leaves are geranium and lemon leaves. Their scent is strong and makes perfect additions to pot pourri. Dry the same way as you would the flowers.

Herbs and spices

This is very much up to the individual. Herbs that are popular are rosemary, thyme and mint. My favorite spice to add to pot pourri is cloves. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cassia and allspice can also be used. Be careful not to use too many spices as their smell tends to overpower the other scents.

Essential Flower Oils

These oils add the finishing touches to pot pourri, but must be used sparingly. Buy flower oils (different fragrances like jasmine, rose, and lemon verbena) at florists and at flea markets. You need only add a few drops as the oils are concentrated.

Fixatives

Fixatives help to "block in" the fragrances longer. Orris root is the most common fixative - this can be bought at health shops. I prefer to use the peels of oranges and lemons. Peel the skin thinly and dry in the same way you would dry the flowers. You can either dry it in strips, or better still grate it. What I often do is to dry it in large strips and then grind the peel. Even wood shavings of fragrant wood (e.g. cedar) can be used.

To make Lemon Pot-Pourri

2 cups dried lemon leaves
1 cup dried lemon verbena leaves
dried peel of 3 lemons
3 cups of yellow/gold rose petals
1 cup jasmine petals
1 cup marigold petals
4 Tablespoons fixative (Orris root powder or wood shavings)
7 drops lemon verbena oil

Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Store in a sealed container until needed.

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