There are so many ways to add good scents to your home. Stovetop potpourri is one of my favorites. It looks so cute in the jar, is great for gifting, and adds beauty and good scents to your house as it cooks. The only downside with Autumn Blend is that it always gives me a serious craving for apple cider.
I love combining different scents. I am always interested in how adding or omitting one item can make a difference.
Ingredients
7 Dehydrated apple rounds
3 cinnamon sticks
3 anise stars
1 teaspoon whole cloves
4 dry fir or pine branch tips
twine (18 inches)
wide-mouth pint jar
lid and ring
The apples are dried by slicing them into 1/4 inch thick rounds, dehydrating at 135 degrees, or placing them in the oven on its lowest setting. This is a great use for apples that have gotten a little too old to eat. You can dehydrate them as needed throughout the year and then in the fall make them into this great potpourri.
I really like to make my potpourri jars look cute. So, I start by choosing my favorite apple, anise star, and a small cinnamon stick. I set these aside for use later.
I then place two cinnamon sticks in the jar. I use these to hold up the apple rounds so they don't fall over into an unartful stack. I place two apples on each side of the cinnamon. I then add a fir tip in front of each stack of apples. The curve of the jar tends to protect the tip so the needles don't get knocked off. The needles can be a little fragile so handle carefully.
I then sprinkle 3/4 of the cloves over the jar to distribute it well.
Next, I place two more apples one over the top of each fir tip at and angle toward the center. I place two more fir tips on top of the apples, sprinkle the remaining cloves and add two anise stars, one towards the top and one towards the bottom.
I try to make sure the stars are visible from the outside since they are so pretty.
The lid and ring are then added.
The last step is to cut a hole about 1/4 inch from the edge. It's easier than it seems due to the fruit being so dry. I usually just press a scissor tip to it and turn the scissors.
The twine is then folded in half and the folded end is placed through the hole in the apple. The cut ends are threaded through the folded end and the cinnamon stick and anise star are placed in the loop before it is tightened. This fruit tag is then tied around the ring.
To use stovetop potpourri, just add the jar contents plus the tag to a small pan of simmering water or add it to a crockpot with water on the high setting. Maintain your water level so it doesn't burn and you should be able to get about 6 days of good scents out of one jar.
