EAT YOUR WAY TO POT POURRI
As the nights draw in and Christmas glows on the horizon, citrus fruit and nuts in their shells start working their way into our shopping baskets. They provide much welcome winter nourishment and vitamins; but what to do with peel and shell? Do you throw them away, add them to your compost bin or drop them into a plastic bag to moulder and rot? Here is a fragrant and attractive alternative.
When eating nuts, crack shells carefully so that they break into even segments. Gather these together in small cardboard or wooden boxes or paper bags. Put only a few into each so that the air can circulate to dry them out thoroughly.
Citrus fruits can be peeled in a spiral. No need to be too neat about this, just a general suggestion of the spiral will be fine – the edges will wrinkle as the peel dries anyway. As with the nuts, gather a few into boxes, paper bags or used manila envelopes with plenty of headroom.
Go out on a blowy autumn day and gather leaves. Pick sturdy, well-coloured specimens and handle carefully. Do not choose leaves that are already so dry they crumble, they will be too fragile for your pot pourri. Leaves seem to dry best in large envelopes, but use what you have.
Gather fir cones, if you can, as these will add bulk and look very good into the bargain.
When you have bagged or boxed as many items as you wish, bearing in mind that the fruit peel will shrink by as much as fifty per cent, place them in a warm, airy place to dry. The time required will vary. The nutshells and cones will be fine within four or five days, whereas the peel will need around two weeks.
Other possible ingredients can include cinnamon sticks, cloves and any other aromatic herb you like.
Mix everything together in a large dish and place anywhere you want good-looking fragrance. Because the ingredients are all natural, they will enhance the atmosphere, rather than harming it, as some artificial air fresheners might.
Copyright December 2006 Susan M Phillips
No part of this work or associated illustration may be copied without the consent of the author
