Fragrant Herb PotPourri

In a large decorative china bowl blend leaves of any or all of the following dried herbs and flowers in equal parts: lemon verbena, lemon balm, sage, basil, rosemary, peppermint, red bergamot, hyssop, sweet cicely, lemon thyme and rose geranium. Add a handful of cloves, 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks broken into lengths, 1 tablespoon of ground orris root and some crushed bay leaves. Next grate 2 or 3 tablespoons of fresh citrus rind and add that. Mix well and top with some dried rosebuds, rose petals, and cornflowers. Add wheat ears and poppy heads for a Harvest Thanksgiving look.


Winter Holidays Potpourri
by Grace Wakefield of Tom Thumb Workshops in Virginia
Winter Holidays potpourri is pleasing to the eye and the nose. The sandalwood, cedar wood, myrrh and spices combine to make a reddish-brown background for the green bay leaves and the round, red rose hips. The fragrance is pungent, woodsy and spicy and is reminiscent of forest resins. A jar of this potpourri in a den or near a favorite reading chair is a welcome winter treat.

1 ounce cassia chips
1 ounce myrrh gum (small pieces)
1 ounce sandalwood chips
1/2 ounce cloves (whole)
2 ounces allspice (whole)
2 ounces cedar chips
1 ounce bay leaves
1 ounce star anise (whole)
2 ounces rose hips (whole)
20 drops spruce oil
20 drops frankincense oil
10 drops bay oil


Mix all ingredients in a non-metal bowl. Store in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid. allow to blend for two weeks before using. Stir occasionally. Makes approximately 12 ounces of potpourri.

This recipe appears in The Pleasure of Herbs by Phyllis V. Shaudys (©1986 Storey Communications, Inc.; published by Garden Way Publishing).


Woodland Treasures Potpourri
A good blend to simmer, if you don't mind "steaming up" your good oils.

30 drops patchouli oil
30 drops sandalwood oil
10 drops vanilla oil or extract
1/2 cup santal chips
1/2 cup oakmoss
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (or broken cinnamon sticks)
1 1/2 cups patchouli
1 1/2 cups deer's-tongue
1 cup hibiscus flowers
3/4 cup balsam fir
1/2 cup star anise
1/2 cup sassafras root bark


Add the oils to the santal chips, oakmoss, and cinnamon chips. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Potpourri recipes by Bob Clark, excerpted from Herbal Treasures by Phyllis V. Shaudys (© 1990 by Phyllis V. Shaudys; published by Garden Way Publishing).


Apple-Spice Potpourri
Apples have a scent with good memories for everyone. Maybe they recall the first day of school, or coming home for supper to the smell of baked apples. With this recipe you will capture all these memories.

You will need:
1 large apple
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
1 cup 1-inch cinnamon stick
cinnamon oil
1/2 cup red rosehips
apple-spice oil


First, prepare the apple slices. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg onto a metal pie pan. Cut apple into quarters, remove core, slice into thin pieces.

Now lay these pieces on the pie pan, sprinkle with remaining nutmeg and dry until leathery. Any source of low, dry heat will do: the mantel over a woodstove, the top of a radiator, or an oven preheated to 150°F., then the heat turned off. In about two days the slices will be dry.

Meantime, put cinnamon stick in a quart jar and drop 7 drops cinnamon oil on it. Allow to rest for a day. Then put red rosehips in the jar, treat them to 12 drops apple-spice oil and shake well.

Now add the apple slices dried with nutmeg and shake the whole thing together. This potpourri smells heavenly as soon as it is blended, and it improves even more with aging.

Adapted from Storey Bulletin #A-130, Making Potpourri by Madeleine H. Siegler (©1991 by Storey Communications, Inc.; published by Storey Publishing).


Winter Holidays Potpourris
by Grace Wakefield of Tom Thumb Workshops in Virginia
Winter Holidays potpourri is pleasing to the eye and the nose. The sandalwood, cedar wood, myrrh and spices combine to make a reddish-brown background for the green bay leaves and the round, red rose hips. The fragrance is pungent, woodsy and spicy and is reminiscent of forest resins.
A jar of this potpourri in a den or near a favorite reading chair is a welcome winter treat.

1 ounce cassia chips
1 ounce myrrh gum (small pieces)
1 ounce sandalwood chips
1/2 ounce cloves (whole)
2 ounces allspice (whole)
2 ounces cedar chips
1 ounce bay leaves
1 ounce star anise (whole)
2 ounces rose hips (whole)
20 drops spruce oil
20 drops frankincense oil
10 drops bay oil

Mix all ingredients in a non-metal bowl. Store in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid. allow to blend for two weeks before using. Stir occasionally.
Makes approximately 12 ounces of potpourri.

This recipe appears in The Pleasure of Herbs by Phyllis V. Shaudys
(©1986 Storey Communications, Inc.; published by Garden Way Publishing).




Here's an easy aromatic design to add to your Christmas tree from Bob Clark, as seen in The Pleasure of Herbs by Phyllis V. Shaudys (© 1986 by Storey Communications, Inc.; published by Garden Way Publishing).
Lacy Hooped Potpourri Decoration
Materials:
Embroidery Hoop (3" for tree ornament, 4 or 5" for wall decor)
Potpourri
Fine lace
Tulle or fine netting
Gathered lace trim
White or hot glue
Lace Motif
Gold cord or narrow ribbon
Paint or stain

1. Paint or stain both hoop rings, if desired. Dry thoroughly.

2. Cut a piece of netting or tulle slightly larger than hoop and lay it over the smaller ring of hoop.

3. Spread glue on central portion of netting; press potpourri evenly over this.

4. If lace has large openings, place another piece of netting over the potpourri. If lace is fine, omit this step.

5. Lay a piece of lace over all. Press on outer ring of hoop, pulling all layers tight. Tighten screw on outer loop. Trim off excess netting and lace.

6. Glue flat lace design or motif on front with clear-drying white glue.

7. Glue lace trim around outer rim on back of hoop, using white or hot glue.

8. Use gold cord or narrow ribbon to hang the ornament from the hoop screw.
Or, sew hanger to back and cover the screw with a bow.



Enchanted Forest Potpourri
A rich, autumnal potpourri blend, Enchanted Forest is rich in balsam, vanilla, and patchouli -- earthy, sensual, and mysterious. It is gorgeous in forest green and shades of brown, with sprinkles of moonlight thrown in.

You will need:
Dried Flowers and Herbs
2 cups deer's-tongue leaves
2 cups patchouli leaves
1 cup balsam fir needles
Essential Oils
20 drops patchouli oil
10 drops sandalwood oil
8 drops vanilla oil
Fixative
1/4 cup cut or ground oakmoss
Textured Elements
1/2 cup orange peel
1/2 cup sassafras root bark
1/4 cup sandalwood chips
1/4 cup cinnamon chips
1/4 cup vanilla bean chunks
Finishing Touches
1/4 cup vervain blossoms
1/4 cup silver-painted pinecones
1/4 cup foxglove flowers
1/4 cup silver glitter


Potpourri Recipes
Money Maker Potpourri

2 - cinnamon sticks (broken up)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 Tablespoons whole cloves
(though ground will work)
4 Tablespoons whole cardamon seeds
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with your fingers while visualizing prosperity, As you mix, say:

"Money, money everywhere,
Money simmer in the air"

To use, fill a pot with about 2 cups of water, add the potpourri, simmer over low heat for at least half an hour. if longer, add more water.

As the scent rises, the power and energy you've placed into the potpourri will be released into the air.

by, Morgaine-Le-Fey

German Witch's Potpourri
2 ounces witch hazel
1 ounce rue
1 ounce sweet woodruff
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 drops pine oil
1 ounce rosemary
1 ounce powdered myrrh gum
1 teaspoon lemon or orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla



Summer Solstice Ritual Potpourri
Recipe by Gerina Dunwich
45 drops Lemon or Lavender Oil
1 cup Oak Moss
2 cups Dried Lavender
2 cups Dried Wisteria
2 cups Dried Verbena

Mix the lemon or lavender oil with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.

(The above recipe for "Summer Solstice Ritual Potpourri" is quoted directly from Gerina Dunwich's book "The Wicca Spellbook: A Witch's Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and Recipes", page 162, A Citadel Press Book, Carol Publishing Group, 1994/1995)


Potpourri Pies
I made a batch of these pies last Christmas and when the kids came home from school they ran to the kitchen to investigate the wonderful smell. They were very disappointed to learn they are pretty to look at but are not edible. So if you make these please warn your family first.

Ingredients • 4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Disposable pie plate (I used the miniature ones from the grocery store)
• Pretty potpourri such as:
• Small pine cones
• Pieces of cinnamon stick broken up
• Allspice
• Whole nutmeg
• Dried apple pieces
• Ginger
• Rose hips
• Juniper berries
• Optional cookie cutter
• Spray varnish
Combine flour, salt and water in a mixing bowl. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, adding a little more water if it is too stiff to work. Because the dough tends to dry on your hands, it is helpful to have a dampened washcloth near your work area. Roll the flour out from center to edges to 1/8 inch thick on a foil covered area.
Place in the bottom of the pie plate and trim the edges 3/4 inch beyond edge. Fill the pie with the potpourri allowing it to mound slightly. Roll remaining dough 1/8 inch thick cut strips of dough 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide with a knife or pastry wheel. Lay strips on filled pie at 3/4 inch intervals. Fold back alternate strips as you weave the cross strips.
Trim lattice even with outer rim of pie plate; fold lower crust over strips. Seal; flute edge by pressing dough with forefinger against wedge made by finger and thumb of other hand. On my pie I further decorated it with a miniature cookie cutter gingerbread man. Bake at 300 until hard.
I allowed my pie to cool slightly and removed it from the plate and then turned it over to bake the bottom a little longer to dry out the dough. Replace any potpourri that may have fallen out. Under baked projects don't keep as well so make sure to watch the timing. The finished piece is strong and will last indefinitely if sprayed with a protective coating such as a spray varnish.

taken from Kitchen Crafts


Divination Potpourri
2 parts Sandalwood
1 part dried Orange Peel
1 part Mace
1 part Cinnamon
Simmer during or directly before using tarot cards, runes, etc. Smells pretty good!
source unknown


Victorian Rose and Delphinium Potpourri
A Victorian Lady would use potpourri to disguise the odors in her home. Enjoy making your own potpourri using flowers from your garden.

9 ozs.dried scented rose petals
3 1/2 ozs. dried delphinium flowers and marigold petals
Large screw top jar
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground orris root
8 drops rose essential oil
Mix the petals and flowers together in the jar. Screw lid on tightly and leave for two or three days in a dark cupboard.
Recipe By: Aileen D Wedeking Herb Library



Victorian Lavender Citrus Potpourri
Material:
20 stems lavender
15 slices preserved(dried)apple
5 dried lemons
1 handful cloves
20 heads dried pale pink roses
2 handfuls dried rose buds
1 handful hibiscus buds
10 eryngium (seaholly) heads
Large glass bowl
Potpourri essence oil

Place all dried ingredients in the glass bowl and mix thoroughly. Add several drops of potpourri essence to the mixture of materials--the more you add, the stronger the scent.
Recipe by: Aileen D Wedeking Herb Library


Christmas Scent
3 sticks cinnamon
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/2 lemon
1/2 orange
1 quart water Combine ingredients and simmer in a teakettle or saucepan throughout the holidays!