The wonderful scents of winter time are in the air! Depending on where you live in the world, the myriad of scents can range from the crisp and intensely clean of snow to a floral bouquet with accents of citrus, sage, and pine. The essence of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, oranges, cranberries, and cocoa titillate and entice the senses as one enters a home.

We at Alair Homes Grey Bruce understand the importance of such smells to intensify the environment of their home. Bright colors and familiar fragrances can enliven anyone’s day. Sometimes it may be hard to find the right personal gift that can uplift someone’s spirits. With a little effort, the wonderful aromas of winter can be put together to make a memorable potpourri.

The Stove Top Method

The stove top method may be one of the simplest ways to make potpourri. Gather up some ingredients such as sweet spices like cinnamon sticks or cloves, favorite fruits or flowers that remind one of the winter season and some water. Place these items into a pan and onto the top of the stove. Turn the stove on and allow the sweet scent to surround every corner of the home. To make this potpourri into a gift, provide the fruit, flowers and spice combination inside a cellophane bag with the instructions written on it.

The Baked Method

The baked method is a little more complicated than the stove top method but it is so worth the effort! Just as in the previous technique, one must get together the items that remind one of winter or the holidays. Those items may be fruit, seeds such as pine cones, flowers, herbs and spices. This potpourri is of a dry type. Therefore, any ingredients that have any water content in them must be evaporated. A dehydrator maybe employed, but the best way to deplete the water from any fruit or flowers would be to slice or cut them up and allow them to air-dry first. This step may take 24 hours to complete. Once they are air-dried, put the material into a preheated oven for a few hours. When the fruit or flowers are cooled, add them along with the other ingredients to a gift box for a scrumptious present for the eyes as well as the nose!

The Combo Method

The combo method uses a little of both of the previous two procedures to make potpourri. Again, gather those elements that say, “Winter is here!” This time, take the peels of any fruit that are used and bake them in the oven at the lowest temperature. After they are baked and cooled, add spices such as cinnamon sticks and whole vanilla bean into a mason jar to help preserve and strengthen the fragrance. Keep the jar sealed until ready to use. When it is time to release its perfume, either simmer the potpourri in a pan on the stove or in a crock pot. Being stored in a mason jar makes it perfect for gift giving.

Making your home smell amazing for the holidays is very important. Celebrate the holiday season with different potpourri smells.

May everyone have happy holidays and a prosperous New Year from Alair Homes Grey Bruce!