Potpourri - not just for grandmas!

When I first told my BF that I was going to make potpourri for Christmas gifts this year, he looked at me like I had truly gone mad. I promised him that I wasn't going to start putting doilies on our furniture and reusing ice cubes, and that he would even like my potpourri because it wasn't just for grandmas. I had a general idea in my head of a wintery, spicy mix of natural items that would invoke the Christmas spirit with each whiff.

So, I started a list of things I already had in my home/yard*:

• Cinnamon sticks: buy in bulk if possible
• Cloves: buy in bulk if possible
• Dried citrus slices and peels: place spiral peeled satsumas peels and thinly sliced lemon rounds on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for about an hour until completely dry but not brown. Check often!
• Pine needles: straight from the Christmas tree!
• Hawthorne berries: a bright red berry that stays on the trees through the winter, feeding birds, especially robins.

Next, I wanted to add a little more color and scent with some Eucalyptus leaves. You can usually find these at a florist or craft store where they sell dried flowers, but I decided to buy the living plant so I can enjoy it's pale green leaves year round.

The mixture needed some bulk. Since I was back in the city at this point, I took my search online where I found the Atlantic Spice Company. Here I purchased some beautiful curly pods, birch pine cones and rose hips.

One tip to longer lasting potpourri is adding a complementary essential oil, so I also purchased a vial of clove oil. These can usually be found in herbal stores, natural markets or online.

Once I had all my ingredients, I combined them into a big bowl. It's not a science, so use whatever proportions (and ingredients) you like, but here is an estimation:

• 4 Cinnamon sticks broken into pieces
• 1/4 cup Cloves
• 4 dried citrus slices and 10 -15 pieces of peels
• 1/4 cup Pine needles
• 1/8 cup Hawthorne berries
• 3 cups Curly pods
• 2/3 cup Rose hips
• 3 cups birch cones
• 1/2 cup Eucalyptus leaves
• 10 drops Clove essential oil

This amount filled about four medium sized mesh bags. The potpourri should be stored in an airtight container for a few days to really seal in the scents.

While the BF was still a little skeptical, I love the result, and I hope that my friends and family did too!!

* and by yard, I really mean my parent's since Belltown condo living isn't very green. :)