Orange Simmer Pot (Stovetop Potpourri)
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This orange simmer pot will make your home smell like spring! With bright and fresh citrus and spicy ginger, this is an easy simmer pot recipe to freshen your home.
I’m a huge fan of simmering pots to scent my home naturally. I love that unlike candles, they are chemical free and I can be creative with combining different ingredients to make custom scents.
Today I want to share a simmering pot recipe that is perfect for spring-Orange and Ginger! This combination makes a light, fresh scent that makes your home smell like you’ve spent the day spring cleaning! It also makes a beautiful homemade gift-just package it up in a mason jar!
Ingredients
For a small simmering pot I used about 1/4 cup of sliced ginger root and 4 Halo oranges, also sliced. Other than that all you need is water!
If you want to eat the oranges and just use the orange peels instead of orange slices, that works just fine. You can use ground ginger if that is all you have on hand and also try this simmer pot with lemons or lemon slices as well.
Step by step
Combine in a pot and add about 4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil on the stove, then reduce heat to a simmer over medium-low heat, replenishing water level as needed.
Note: You can use a slow cooker for your simmer pot as well. Just set to low and leave the top off. It will take a little longer for the smell to start but it’s a great way to scent your home without having to keep and eye on the stove.
Reusing simmer pot ingredients
To reuse the simmer pot simply drain the water and pour the contents of the pot in a mason jar or other airtight container and store in the refrigerator until the next day.
When ready to resuse, add fresh water and repeat! I usually use mine for about three days in a row before making a fresh pot.
Variations
You can make so many types of simmer pots with fruit, herbs, and spices you have on hand! Some of my favorites are this Fall Simmering Pot with apples, oranges, and cinnamon sticks or this spicy Cinnamon Clove Simmer Pot Gift with cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.
Other flavor ingredients to try: vanilla extract or vanilla beans, almond extract, cranberries, star anise, bay leaves, fresh rosemary sprigs, nutmeg, lavender, or any essential oils you enjoy
How do you like to scent your home naturally? What are your favorite springtime smells?
Can you dry the ingredients to put in a jar for a gift? Otherwise, how would you store this long term?
Thank you so much.
I haven’t tried it Ann, I’m not sure if drying would affect the scent when simmering.
I am unclear what to do with the mason jar gift. Is this to heat in your own home for the sent or how do you use it?
I have at times put the dry ingredients in a jar to gift to others Ann. ~Melissa
You gift it to someone else. All they have to do is add water and heat it up in a crock pot or simmer it on the stove.
Love this! I’m gonna try making this one 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
thank you for promoting non chemical ways to create cozy in the home. Women don’t realize they are using chemicals with the artificial products that they would never allow to get near their families. I don’t do cinnamon so I will defiantly try this one.