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Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Hints on drying petals, leaves and herbs, and making potpourri. To dry petals completely, gather at midmorning on a dry day, when they have no dew on them.

Spread them out one layer deep in a warm, dark place where there is plenty of fresh air. They should take about ten days to dry.

Herbs also should be dried in a warm, dark, airy place. Place on layers on shelves, allowing one layer to dry thoroughly before adding another. The place should smell only faintly of herbs, if it smells strong, then there is too much heat.

To dry flower heads, treat the same way as herbs.

The traditional way of drying herbs and flowers is to hang them in bunches upside down in a dry, airy place, but this method is likely to retain less colour and fragrance.

The Original Moist Method for Potpourri

Gather rose or other scented flower petals, and partly dry them - until they are leathery. This will take two days or so in dry weather.
Spread them out in one layer only in a dark, warm, well-ventilated place - on sheets of paper in a cupboard, or on the floor of a spare room.

Arrange layers of petals and salt in a large, deep bowl, using just under one cup of salt to three cups of petals. Fill the bowl about 2/3 full. Stand the bowl in a dark, warm, well ventilated place for about ten days. When the petals have caked together, they are ready to use for potpourri.
 
Break up the caked petals into pieces and mix with the other ingredients. Seal in an airtight container and leave to mature for six weeks, stirring often. Add essential oils and dried flowers, seal again to mature for another two weeks.

Rose Potpourri

8 cups rose petals
1/4 cup coarse sea salt
3/4 cup table salt
2 tablespoons ground mace
3/4 cup orris-root powder
2 tablespoons ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons ground allspice
1 stick crushed cinnamon
1 cup dried rosebuds
4 or 5 drops rose oil

Dry the rose petals until they are leathery. Mix the coarse and fine salt.In a large bowl. Layer the petals and the salt. Put the bowl in dry, well-ventilated place for ten days. Stir the mixture each day, when it is quite dry, add other ingredients.
Put the potpourri into an airtight container and leave to mature for six weeks. Transfer to a decorative jar, and always keep covered except when it is in use.

Marigold + Mint Potpourri

1/2 cup dried thyme
1/2 cup dried marigold flowers
2/3 cup dried peppermint leaves
2 drops oil of peppermint
1/3 cup dried basil
2 drops oil of basil
1/2 cup coarse sea salt

Crush the herbs gently and mix with the salt. Add the marigolds. Mix in the oil of peppermint and basil, increasing the amount to four drops if the fragrance seems too faint. Seal the container. Keep for six weeks in a dry, dark, warm place. Shake once daily.

The Dry Method for Potpourri

The dry method is more convenient, although the mixture may not retain its fragrance for so long as a moist potpourri. In addition, there is a difference in the quality of the perfumes - the moist potpourris having a heavier fragrance.

For a dry potpourri, the petals should be completley dry - crisp and crumbly in texture. Some kind of fixative is required to preserve the fragrance, the most commonly used being orris-root powder, which is the ground root of an iris, Iris florentina. Orris-root powder can be found in some health-food stores or online.

Potpourri

Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl, adding the orris-root powder and oils last:

4 cups dried rose petals
2 cups dried rose geranium leaves
1 cup dried elderflowers
1 cup dried lavender flowers
2 tablespoons ground dried orange peel
2 teaspoons freshly ground cloves
2 teaspoons freshly ground allspice
2 teaspoons cardamon seeds
1 tablespoon everlasting flowers
2 tablespoons orris root powder
1 teaspoon rose oil
1/2 teaspoon sandalwood oil
3 drops lavender oil

Cover the basin and leave to mature in a dry, dark place for three weeks. Stir the mixture occasionally. Transfer the potpourri to decorative jars.

Orris root and other fixatives (gum benzoin, oakmoss, and sweet flag or calamus), as well as petals and other potpourri requirements can be obtained online.

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/potpourri/default.asp
http://www.glenbrookfarm.com/herbs/potpourri.htm