I sometimes make my own potpourri by using a tsp. of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves (apple pie spices.) These make your house smell wonderful. Just put them on the stove in a small pot of water to simmer on very low heat. Everyone coming in your home will be searching for the pies. You can also use other spices of your choosing. Pumpkin smells wonderful also!
By Michelle from Lanett, AL
I made homemade potpourri and gave it away as Christmas presents, it's easy and cheap to make so it's good for gifts for people you want to acknowledge but don't want to spend a lot of money. What I did was buy one bag of each: apples, oranges, lemons, and limes. I sliced them pretty thin and laid them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at like 200 degrees F for a few hours. This part is a little tricky because each fruit takes a different amount of time. You want to take them out of the oven when they're not all the way dried, if you let them dry all the way in the oven they will turn brown and ugly. They'll be a little brown but you'll still be able to see the orange or the red of the apple and so on.
Just put everything in a big bowl and let it finish drying naturally for a day or two. Then sprinkle the whole mix with spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg whatever you like the smell of. Then mix with dried cranberries, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves. Use your imagination, there's really no right or wrong way to do it, I put mine in jars tied with ribbon and in those little sheer bags you can find in the wedding isle at any WalMart or craft store. I found mine at the dollar tree 4 for $1, and they're great for putting in a drawer or suitcase. You can even simmer some on the stove in a pot of water. I don't have one but I would think if you used a food dehydrator to dry the fruits you would be able to retain more of the color in the fruits, but the oven method works fine for me. Have Fun! (04/02/2007)
By bambi2003
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