3 Potpourri Recipes to Fill Your Home With the Scent of Fall

When you want to create autumn magic, there’s no need to keep a saucepan of cinnamon boiling on the stove, or logs burning in the fireplace. Put your slow cooker to work for wonderful fall fragrances. Cheer yourself up on a frosty day, or welcome guests with the scents of the season.

These simmering potpourris are also handy for using up apples, oranges or lemons that are past their best.

Choose a recipe:

1. Cranberry-Citrus-Clove:

• 2 oranges, sliced
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

2. Classic Apple Pie:

• 2 apples, sliced
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ginger

3. Sage, Rosemary & Thyme:

• 1 lemon, sliced
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Add the ingredients to your slow cooker and fill about halfway with water. The fruit will float at first, so press the pieces down to make sure the water is at least one inch higher than ingredients. Turn slow cooker to low. Do not put the top on. (It’s a habit!)

You can substitute fresh herbs if you have them, just use three times the measure of the dried herbs. Do check the water now and then and replace as needed. Enjoy the cozy fragrance all day!