Happy Hamper Giving...Simmer Scents

Posted September 26th, 2012 by Mimi

I was reminded of this lovely idea when it was suggested to me by a friend.

She offered it as a suggestion to combat Dead Possum Pong, currently the scent du jour at Chez Mimi...peeeyew!

From there of course, the wheels in my brain, never at a dead stop, started spinning and I realised this was another great potential addition to my Christmas Hampers.

The idea is very simple.

You tie, bundle or bag together, a collection of fragrant herbs, flowers or other things, and package them with instructions to add a small handful to a small pot of simmering water, to scent their home. Add water, as the level diminishes, to keep the fragrance going. Alternatively, it's another use for the slow cooker, which tends to get pushed to one side in Summer. Popping that in an out of the way corner with fragrant bits and bobs in it would be a gorgeous way of keeping the house smelling fresh.

I particularly love the idea of Christmassy scents, but anything else that smells pretty, would be welcome too.

I'm thinking of different combinations of any of the following:

Vanilla Bean

Star Anise

Cloves

Cinnamon Sticks

Fresh ginger cut into slices and dried in the oven

Citrus fruits, apples, pineapple, and strawberries cut into slices and oven dried as well

Rosemary

Lavender

Green tea

Jasmine tea

Any other herbal tea

I'm sure there's lots of other things too. Can anyone help me out with some more potential ingredients?

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