- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- 1 small orange (a clementine works equally well)
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves or allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- Wide-mouth, quart jars or cellophane gift bags (if giving as a gift)
Christmas Potpourri
Yield: 1 potful (or 1 jar or bag for gifting)
The aroma of warm spices and fresh citrus join festive cranberries in this colorful, easy-to-make mix that is perfect for gift giving – and equally wonderful to make for yourself!
Ingredients
Instructions
Slice the orange, and then bring 3 cups water and all of the ingredients to a simmer over low heat, uncovered, in a small to medium pot. Check the water from time to time, adding more if it starts to get low.
If giving as a gift, place all of the ingredients in a wide mouth jar or cellophane bag, tie with a pretty bow, and include the simmering instructions.
Notes
*I’ve used ¼ teaspoon apple pie spice instead of the ground nutmeg. More recently, I have enjoyed using ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
Can I reuse the potpourri? I have simmered the mixture on my burner’s lowest heat for several hours with an occasional stir, which helps the aroma to waft out. I’ve then let the pot come to room temperature before covering and keeping at room temperature and repeating two more times (adding water as needed) on subsequent days before discarding and starting with fresh ingredients.