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Fill your home with the aroma of Christmas using our Christmas Simmer Pot recipe and create the perfect cozy ambiance for any gathering.
Featured with this recipe
It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas! Create your own, customized Christmas scent with natural ingredients. Orange slices, lemon slices, cranberries, herbs, and spices combine to make your home smell fresh and clean. This combination is perfect for the holiday season, the mixture of the citrus and spice makes everything feel festive and cozy. If you want to make your whole house smell like you’re burning an expensive candle, this is the perfect simmer pot for you! When you’re done simmering your fruit and spices, dry them out on a baking sheet and you have potpourri ingredients. Holiday potpourri in a mason jar makes a beautiful gift.
Ingredients in a Christmas Simmer Pot
- Orange Slices
- Lemon Slices
- Cranberries
- Rosemary Sprigs
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Vanilla
What is a Simmer Pot?
A simmer pot is an all natural way to create aroma and atmosphere in your home without using a candle. Welcome guests into your home with a delicious scent of warm spices and a small cloud of steam. Typically, you fill the pot with sliced fruits, herbs, and different whole spices to make a soft and subtle scent. Then, you add water and set to a low heat and keep it simmering. It’s so easy, just put your ingredients in fresh water and let simmer for a few hours in a small saucepan. The scent will permeate your home like a sweet and spicy soup simmering on the stove.
Variations
Simmer pots can be anything you want. Get to creating! But to start you off, here are some ideas:
- Classic Simmer Pot- lemon slices, fresh rosemary sprigs, peppercorns, vanilla extract
- Orange Spice Simmer Pot- orange slices, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves
- Fall Simmer Pot- sliced apple and peel, sliced orange and peel (or tangerine), cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves
- Christmas Tree Simmer Pot- cinnamon sticks, orange peels, whole cloves, sliced apple and peel, pine, fresh cranberries
- Star of Christmas Simmer Pot- orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise
- Zinger Simmer Pot- limes, ginger, sprigs of mint
- Spicy Spring Simmer Pot- sliced grapefruit, sliced lemon, thyme, vanilla extract, peppercorns
Recipe Tip
Keep the heat low – the water should just barely be bubbling. At this low temperature, the pot can last about two hours.
Frequently Asked Questions about Christmas Simmer Pots
Yes, this is a great way to make a simmer pot because you don’t have to worry about a flame and you can keep an even, consistent temperature. Check your slow cooker simmer pot periodically to make sure the water hasn’t boiled out or boiled down to an unsafe level.
No. Because you sometimes put in things like essential oils, these liquids are unsafe to drink.
They don’t necessarily have health benefits, more that they don’t detract from you health like a candle might. Some say that candles put chemicals in the air, whereas simmer pots do not.
You can reuse the ingredients in your simmer pot one or two times. And then, if you partake, you can compost the ingredients. Another option is to dry everything out and create your own potpourri! This potpourri can be put into jars and made into gifts.
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How to Make a Christmas Simmer Pot
Christmas Simmer Pot
Equipment
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 1 orange
- 1 cup cranberries
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- water
Instructions
- Thinly slice the lemons and oranges.
- Add all ingredients to the pot and then fill the rest of the pot with water. Leave a few inches at the top for boiling.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat and then turn heat to low. Let simmer for up to 2 hours.
Notes
- If the water level gets low before the two hours is up, then you can add a few more cups of water.
- Experiment with different fruits and herbs to create a blend that is uniquely you!
- Do not leave simmer pot unattended.
