One of the first things I do when fall arrives here in South Texas is I
begin using my vintage French bain marie for simmering potpourri.
This is not the intended use for such a beautiful piece , so that goes to why I do it.
Flea Marketing Fact:
When I found this at the flea market, I almost passed out. If you are an avid flea
marketeer like I am, you know passing out is not an option.
You have to play it ‘cold’, as my mother used to say.
I know you also know that a saucepan works just fine. It is all good.
I am blessed to have an orange tree in our backyard.
When they are in season , we eat a lot of oranges.
There is something so simple and wonderful about picking an orange, rinsing it off,
peeling it ,and eating it right then and there.
Once peeled, I then throw the peel in the bottom section of my bain marie.
This simmering mixture becomes a cycle of many of the things I love:
our oranges, spices, and fragrance.
My favorite store bought (another favorite term of my mother’s) simmering potpourri has been discontinued.
I loved Aromatiques’s muslin sachet bags in
The Smell of Christmas.
I can’t find the sachet bags anywhere.
When that happened, I began using mulling spices from the grocery store that I found in the produce
section .
I just added extra whole cloves,
cinnamon sticks,
and more orange peel.
I have also purchased the Smell of Christmas bottles of oil and added it to this mixture.
The first time I did that I prayed an explosion didn’t occur.
What are some of your early fall traditions?
9 comments:
Oh Laura, that looks fabulous and I'll bet it smells even better than that! I have an aversion to some fragrance that triggers coughing but the natural smells of orange, lemon, cinnamon, etc. always work for me. I'll have to try that!
Laura,
Mm~m~m. . .I can smell the freshness of the orange scent, dear friend!
Autumn Traditions. . .usually washing windows and opening for "fresh air" after a long hot Summer with the AC going!
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
Fondly,
Pat
I can't use potpourri or any kind of continuous-release air fresheners because I'm overly sensitive to chemical scents. If i need to freshen the air, I burn a small piece of Japanese incense and let it go at that!
That's a great tradition for the fall season. I have used some of these before and I love the way the whole house smells when you let it simmer on the stove!
Shelley
Oh, I bet that smells heavenly. My husband is sensitive to many smells and potpourri, of any kind, is one of them. So I'll just have to dream about yours.
Laura, when I developed allergies, I started making my own stove top potpourri ! I use orange, lemon, and apple peels with all the warm spices! It makes the house smell like autumn without me having a sneezing attack! Happy Labor Day weekend! Pam @ Everyday Living
I make it on the stove top sometimes too but my tendency is to forget about it and burn the pot. True.
I love to get fall candles about this time of year and I usually change some of our artwork to reflect the season.
It's so funny that your mom told you to play it cold. Paul always tells me ahead of time...now act like you don't care...or don't act like that's the best thing ever. ;)
I just put the fall pillows out on the front porch this afternoon and tied fall ribbons and bows on the topiaries. I'll get some fall decor out on the inside this next week. Happy weekend!
A few pumpkins and some fall pillows is how I start:) I better go ahead and get those tubs out of the attic! Thanks for the reminder! I bet your simmer pot smells SO good! Have a blessed Labor Day dear Laura, HUGS!
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