Home Herbal by Maureen Little

Author:Maureen Little
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781845285456
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

POT POURRI

It’s a shame that nowadays the term pot pourri often conjures up visions of dried out bits of non-descript, bark-like substances collecting dust in a bowl that some well-meaning friend gave you for your birthday about five years ago. Either that, or a bag of equally non-descript wood shavings, leaves and other ‘botanicals’ that the packet says will remind us of fluffy towels or Christmas cookies or will instantly transport us to a tropical paradise filled with the scent of vanilla, mango and ginger – all at once!

Harking back to days gone by isn’t always a good idea but I think when it comes to pot pourri, it is worth more than a backward glance. Flowers have long been used to scent the home, but it was during the eighteenth century that the pot pourri came into its own. Pot pourri was originally a culinary term roughly meaning a pot of mixed vegetables (literally ‘rotten’ or ‘addled’ pot, from the French for ‘rotten’: pourri, à la pourriture), but it was somehow hijacked and came to mean a pot of mixed fragrant flowers, herbs and spices – far from rotten! Bowls of pot pourri would be strategically placed around the home to fragrance the air – there were no artificial room sprays back then!

Unlike the modern, mixtures, a traditional pot pourri always contains roses, with whatever other flowers, petals, leaves and spices are available or desired. A fixative is required, too, to prolong the fragrance: orris root powder, from Iris germanica var. florentina, is still widely used. And if you want a more intense scent, you can add a few drops of an essential oil.

Dry pot pourri

The easiest type of pot pourri to make is a dry mixture.

The ingredients are calculated by weight or volume, as we shall see in this basic herbal recipe.

You will need:

2 to 3 teaspoons of your chosen spice(s)

25g of powdered Iris germanica var. florentina (orris) root

6 drops of essential oil (optional)

1 litre in total of fragrant petals of your choice – this can be one variety or a mixture

25g fragrant herb leaves

1 teaspoon of additional ingredients, such as cloves, grated orange rind or star anise (optional)

To make the pot pourri, mix together the spices, orris root and essential oil. If you use essential oil, rub the mixture between your fingers and thumb to make sure the oil is evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add the spice mixture to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Put the mixture into an airtight container and store in a dark place for at least five weeks. Shake the container occasionally to redistribute the ingredients. After the ‘maturing’ time, put the pot pourri in a decorative bowl, or use it to fill bags.

Moist pot pourri

You can also make a moist pot pourri. The end result isn’t as visually attractive as the dry version but the fragrance is more intense.

You will need exactly the same amount of ingredients as the dry mixture, but in addition, you will need some coarse salt, brown sugar and brandy.

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