Simmering Potpourri – A Homemade Gift Idea

Simmering Potpourri – dried oranges, cranberries, spices and pine twigs simmering together with water on the stove top to create an amazing fragrance for your home. This is another one of our great Homemade Gift Ideas to give over the holidays. Make sure you grab the free printable gift tags to make your gift even more special.

Do you need a last minute gift for someone this week? Or maybe you need a few hostess gifts to bring to Christmas celebrations and parties over the holidays?

Simmering Potpourri Recipe Gift

Friends and family will love this homemade gift idea of simmering potpourri. Your house will smell amazing as you dry the fruit. And then your house will smell like Christmas as you use the simmering potpourri.  

There are printable gift tags for you to attach to the mason jars filled with the Christmas Potpourri. Print them out, cut and add them to the jars with pretty ribbon.

Oh and don’t forget, while you’re making these simmering potpourri recipe gifts, to keep a jar for your home to use over the holidays!

Helpful Tools

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• Glass Canning Jars
• Ribbon or Raffia and Gift Tags – make sure you include directions on how to use the simmering potpourri.

Ingredients

Exact measurements are listed below in the recipe card. Make sure you scroll down to print and save the recipe for later!

• Dried Fruit – you can purchase already dried fruit or follow the easy steps below to dry it in your own home.
• Dried Cranberries – I used a prepackaged brand from the grocery store.
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Whole Cloves
• Star Anise
• Pine Branch Clippings – take a walk outside and gather a few pine twigs!

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Directions:

Step 1: How to Dry Cranberries for Potpourri

One of the easiest ways to dry cranberries for potpourri is to use a dehydrator. However, if you don’t have one, you can also dry cranberries in the oven.

• On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread the cranberries out in a single layer.
• Place the tray in the oven that is set to its lowest temperature.
• The process can take anywhere from two to four hours.

Step 2: How to Dry Fruit for Christmas Potpourri

Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are perfect for this Christmas potpourri because they retain their shape and color when they dry.  Oranges and lemons also look so pretty when they are completely dried.

Dried fruit also makes great ornaments if you have a Christmas tree in your kitchen.  I even like placing dried fruit in a bowl on the kitchen counter to keep up all winter long.

• Cut the fruit into thin slices.
• Place the fruit on baking trays lined with parchment paper or you can put them on a rack on top of a baking tray.
• Place the trays in the oven set to 200 degrees and bake for about two hours turning the fruit halfway through.
• Once the fruit is dry, lay the fruit flat on a surface overnight.
• You want to make sure the fruit is completely dry before you package them into the jars for the potpourri.

Step 3: How to Make Christmas Potpourri Gift Jars

Place the pine branches first in the jar.Then add the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, dried cranberries and the dried lemons and oranges.

Add the mason jar lid and ring. Attach the Free Printable Gift Tag using ribbon or raffia.

Step 4: How to Use Homemade Simmering Potpourri

Place the ingredients of the jar in a small saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water and place on the stove with a small flame underneath.

Make sure you check the water level frequently while it is on the stove.

Tip: It’s very important that you make sure the water does not evaporate completely while you are using the potpourri.

Step 5: Print the FREE Gift Tags

Print these FREE Gift Tags out, punch a hole in the top and add them with a ribbon on the Simmering Potpourri Jars to give us gifts!

MORE CHRISTMAS MASON JAR GIFT IDEAS:

• Christmas Mason Jar Crafts
• Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Snow Globes
• How to Make Christmas Terrariums in Mason Jars

Simmering Potpourri - A Great Christmas Gift Idea

Yield: 4 small mason jars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Simmering Potpourri makes a great homemade Christmas gift or hostess gift to give to family and friends.The best part about this gift is it's easy to make.

Print

Materials

• Glass Canning Jars
• Ribbon or Raffia
• Dried Fruit
• Dried Cranberries – I used a prepackaged brand from the grocery store.
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Whole Cloves
• Star Anise
• Pine Branches

Tools

• Scissors
• Knife

Instructions

Dry the Cranberries

1. On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread the cranberries out in a single layer.
2. Place the tray in the oven that is set to its lowest temperature or 200 degrees.
3. The process can take anywhere from two to four hours.

Dry the Fruit

1. Cut the fruit into thin slices.
2. Place the fruit on baking trays lined with parchment paper or you can put them on a rack on top of a baking tray.
3. Place the trays in the oven set to 200 degrees and bake for about two hours turning the fruit halfway through.
4. Once the fruit is dry, lay the fruit flat on a surface overnight.
5. You want to make sure the fruit is completely dry before you package them into the jars for the potpourri.

Assemble the Jars

1. Place the pine branches first in the jar.
2. Then add the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, dried cranberries and the dried lemons and oranges.
3. Add the mason jar lid and ring.
4. Tie pretty ribbon or raffia around the jar.

To Use Simmering Potpourri

1. Place the ingredients of the jar in a small saucepan.
2. Fill the saucepan with water and place on the stove with a small flame underneath.
3. Make sure you check the water level frequently while it is on the stove.
4. It’s very important that you make sure the water does not evaporate completely while you are simmering.

Notes

Please make sure you include a note with instructions on how to use the potpourri.

Also include in the note that it is very important that the water does not evaporate completely while you are simmering the potpourri.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Whole Select Anise Star
• 
  Mason Jar with Lids
• 
  Keystone Wholesale Dried Orange Slices

This post has been updated since it first appeared in 2015 with new photos and new printable gift tags. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!