Homemade Potpourri for the Holidays

The warming spices of winter in an easy potpourri recipe for the holidays.

Aron seemed perfectly calm. He sat in the living room, looking at cartoons in old numbers of the Review of Reviews. From the kitchen the odor of the bursting juices of roasting turkey began to fill the house.
East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

We humans are makers, creators, hands busy creatures, dreamers. We know what motivates us, where we find our joy. All that talk about results oriented, achieving goals can cloud the joy in doing. I find it spilling over from my previous life in management. I track myself with lists, the daily, the goals. The, the, the. Attending the International Food Bloggers Conference really clarified my motivation to blog. I find joy in the making. When lost in the process, the doing is my bliss. I’d bet you’re a creative too, because we all are. This year’s IFBC experience was like having my vision checked and then realizing that my new glasses helped so much. I couldn’t believe I was making do with my old pair. Why did I wait so long to see clearly?

Essentials

Homemade Potpourri for the Holidays is a project that rewards the doing. The best way to start making potpourri is to take a brisk autumn walk. Gather fallen pine cones, seed pods or dried berries. All these autumn things are currently littering every path and sidewalk. The experience of gathering and choosing each item begins the creative process. I like an array of colors, shapes and textures but choosing just one item from outside and bringing inside is all you need. Once in the kitchen the aroma of warming spices, apple and tangerine are a pure jolt of winter bliss. I made a big batch so I would have extra for gifting. Even a small project of one bowl of Homemade Potpourri for the Holidays has its reward. This isn’t an exacting recipe for potpourri, it’s more of a nudge of inspiration to set you on a path of autumn discovery. Make your own joy.

1. Heat the oven to 200°. Cover 2 sheet pans with parchment or a heat proof baking mat.
2. Drying the apples and oranges takes several hours, mine took about three hours. Exact time will depend on the thickness of the slices and the moisture in the fruit. Thinly slice the apples across the center or core and spread in single layer across the surface of the sheet pan. Repeat with the tangerines. Place in the oven to dehydrate. Turn the slices every thirty minutes. After removing from the oven and cool to touch the fruit will be crisp and feel dry when it is ready.
3. Sprinkle a few drops of cinnamon or clove oil in the bottom of a bowl or other container. (A wooden container may absorb some of the oil, making it difficult to remove.) To release the scent from the spices smash some of the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and star anise. Add the dried fruit and cones, pods or berries and spices to the container. Arrange or toss to mix. Add more essential oil as desired.

This is the third of three posts I am publishing as a citizen blogger to receive the reduced conference rate for the International Food Bloggers Conference 2017.