Stovetop Potpourri in Jelly Jars
Our friend Rachel gave us a little jar of this stovetop potpourri. On Boxing Day, when the work and chaos of producing Christmas for everyone were finally done, we simmered it all day long. It's such a lovely ritual, and so easy to share. This recipe makes one gift, but you can easily scale it. Rachel dries orange rinds regularly throughout the year to keep a supply on hand.
Yield: 1
Cost: $3
Materials
- Handful of dried orange rind
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 heaping tablespoon whole cloves
- A few fresh cranberries optional (see note)
- 1 sprig of pine optional
- 8- ounce jelly jar
- 2 1/2- inch round kraft paper label or printable tags see note
- UG Stovetop Potpourri Free Printable Labels Template
- Red and white twine
- 1- inch jingle bell
Instructions
To dry the orange rind
- Slice orange rinds into 1/2-inch-wide strips. You can do this over the course of several days if you like and leave rinds to air dry while you accumulate enough to dry in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 300°F with a rack in the center.
- Arrange rinds in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until completely dried.
- Let cool completely before proceeding.
To assemble the stovetop potpourri gift
- Place a handful of dried orange rind into a jelly jar.
- Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, cranberries, and pine sprig, and close jar.
- Print labels using included labels template. If using Avery 22818 labels, be sure to print at 100% size (uncheck "fit to page"). It's a very good idea to test your printer settings on a plain piece of paper before printing on labels.
- Stick label onto jar, or cut out tag, hole punch, and thread with twine.
- Thread jingle bell onto twine, wrap twine around jar lid a few times, and tie.
Notes
It's nice to add cranberries and pine since they're colorful and festive, but since these ingredients are fresh instead of dried, they will shorten the shelf life of the jar contents. If you include them, just mention to your gift recipients that they should use the potpourri within a few weeks. Alternatively, you could use dried cranberries and pine or rosemary.
You can also print the printable labels template onto regular kraft paper to use as hanging tags. Cut out circles, hole punch, and tie with twine.