Autumn Simmer Pot Recipe
Our autumn simmer pot is a completely natural way to fill your home with the scent of autumn. This all natural air freshener is scented with apples, cinnamon, clementine and whole cloves for a lovely cosy autumnal vibe.
The lovely thing about simmer pots is that they are a completely natural home fragrance. They fill your home with delicious, chemical free aroma.
Our autumn simmer pot is a lovely way to fragrance your home with the scent of fall and I just love to make these simmer pots, they're quite soothing to make and smell divine.
There's no rules with simmer pots, just add in the things you like the smell of, cover with plenty of water and be sure to check it regularly so it doesn't boil dry.
They're super simple. They really are the easiest way to make all natural air freshener.
For my DIY natural air freshener, I like to use a little mixture of fall scents, apple, clementine (or orange peels), cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and just let it fill my home with it's delicious evocative scent, swirling me into a cosy little autumn afternoon.
WHAT IS A SIMMER POT?
Quite simply a saucepan filled with water and lovely scented ingredients - herbs, fruits and spices, then they're gently warmed and they fill the house with a gorgeous fragrance. They're sometimes called stovetop potpourri.
FALL SIMMER POT INGREDIENTS
You'll just need a handful of delicious smelling fresh ingredients and spices to throw together your own autumn simmer pot
- 1 apple - peel the apple and throw the peel into the simmer pot too.
- clementine - again, peel and put the peel into the simmer pot with the fruit.
- 2 cinnamon sticks - you can break these up a little to release a little more scent
- 3 star anise
- ginger- just use a thumb sized piece of garlic, peeled and sliced, again I put the peel in with the rest of the simmer pot ingredients.
- small handful of cloves
- 2 drops of orange essential oil
HOW TO MAKE AN AUTUMN SIMMER POT
It's super easy to make our fall simmer pot recipe, get yourself a saucepan, fill it with gorgeous scented fruits, herbs and spices, cover with water and simmer.
The step by step instructions are below...
- Peel and roughly chop the apple - add the fruit slices and the peel to the saucepan, I usually use my large Dutch oven pan for simmer pots.
- Peel and roughly break up the clementine - add the fruit and the peel to the saucepan.
- Peel and roughly chop up the ginger - add both the ginger root and the peel to the saucepan.
- Add the spices - star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Add in two - three drops of orange essential oil
- Fill the saucepan with cold water, then bring it to a low simmer on the stove top, turn the heat to low and leave it simmering away for a few hours.
- Remember to check your simmer pot regularly and top up the water when needed, don't let it boil dry.
TIPS FOR USING A SIMMER POT
- When I've finished with the simmer pot I drain the fruit and spices, store in a box in the fridge and reuse the next couple of days - then compost after that.
- This is a great simmer pot to use if you're having autumn/winter parties at home, it'll really make your home smell delicious with a cosy autumn vibe before your guests arrive.
- It's also good at driving out cooking smells, especially when you've been cooking fish.
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WHAT CAN I SIMMER TO MAKE THE HOUSE SMELL GOOD?
Well if you're wondering what you can boil to freshen the air we've loads of great ideas that'll leave your home smelling gorgeous!
You can either stick to single ingredients or mix and match to create a scent you love. Just put the simmer pot ingredients into a pan and then cover with water and simmer - topping it up regularly to stop it boiling dry.
You could try any of the ingredients below in your fragrant simmer pots.
- Lemons - roughly chopped including the peels
- Oranges or clementines - peeled and roughly broken up
- Dried lavender
- Cinnamon sticks or even just ground cinnamon will still smell lush
- Vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract - just a few drops in the water will be sufficient
- Ground All spice, ground nutmeg and whole cloves
- Springs of fresh rosemary.
- Bunches of mint leaves
MORE NATURAL DIY HOME FRAGRANCE IDEAS TO TRY
More home fragrance tips and ideas here
- Make your own natural room spray - an easy DIY recipe to create your own natural room sprays using essential oils.
- Lavender Rug Freshener - how to make your own natural rug freshener for using on carpets and rugs at home.
- Peppermint Pillow Spray - a gorgeous recipe for a lush pillow spray to help you drift off to sleep.
- Summer Simmer Pot - fill your home with the uplifting scent of summer with this beautiful summer solstice simmer pot.
How to make an autumn simmer pot
A delicious all natural air freshener for autumn
Materials
- 1 apple
- 1 clementine
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- piece of ginger
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 10 cloves
- 2 drops orange essential oil
- water to to top up
Tools
- sharp knife
- saucepan
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the fruit and ginger.
- Add the fruit and ginger including the peel to the saucepan.
- Add in the spices
- Add 2 drops of orange essential oil
- Cover with plenty of cold water
- Bring the simmer pot to a low simmer on the hob - then leave to simmer away for a couple of hours. Check the pot regularly and top up when necessary so it doesn't boil dry.
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Wendy is the creator of Daisies & Pie, a UK food blog sharing easy meals and home lifestyle tips since 2012
