Christmas Simmer Pot
Goodness me, do I love a simmer pot. And goodness me does my body dislike candles! Ok, but whether or not you like candles, you should try a Christmas simmer pot. Imagine all the good smells of holiday baking gently effusing your space in just the coziest way. Already happier, right? Me too.
CONTENTS
Christmas Simmer Pot
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably seen me share simmer pots before as they’re a natural air freshener. As someone who doesn’t really like candles, simmer pots are a favorite way of mine to either freshen up the air or to fill our home with yummy scents.
Simmer pots are a year round option, but I thought a Christmas simmer pot would be a fun one to share – to help scent your home AND as an easy Christmas or Holiday homemade gift.
What are Simmer Pots
Simmer pots are pretty basic. They’re pots of simmering water with ingredients in the water. The natural flavors and essential oils in the items are warmed in the water and disperse into the air.
The great things about simmer pots, not just holiday simmer setups, is that the ingredients can be amended with no problems and the pots can last for a long time (or even be reused a time or two)!
What does a Christmas Simmer Pot Do
They’re actually an old-school method of an air freshener – before all the synthetic scents came into fruition! Imagine the smell of a fresh Christmas tree or wreath. Or the scent of your favorite homemade cookies coming out of the oven – it’s like that! The fun part is that you can make that happen without the work of baking anything (or while you cook something else).
You might think my aversion to candles is just a personal thing, but it’s important to talk about candles because they aren’t just sunshine and scents! In fact, traditional candles are often made with petroleum-based paraffin wax and then filled with synthetic fragrances (one of the world’s top allergens). Even when they aren’t burning, they can release phthalates and carcinogens into the air. And you can picture all that burning into the air when it is lit.
The only candles I’m a fan of are beeswax candles because they actually help purify the air when burning and they don’t drip much! And even then, I really don’t like scents – however natural they are. They’re usually just too strong for my senses. What can I say? Maybe I am the canary in the coal mine.
What goes in a Christmas Simmer Pot
Water
Tricky, I now. But, yeah, water. You want to fill your pot ½-⅔ full with tap water. The more water, the longer it’ll take to come to a simmer, but that’s fine since that also means it’ll last longer before you need to refill it
WHOLE SPICES
The pictures here show whole star anise and whole cloves. Cinnamon sticks are also usually in my holiday/Christmas simmer pots, but it just varies with what I have on hand.
I feel like it’s important to say that the spices don’t have to be super fresh. Spices like this have natural oils that they hold onto and the warm water will help release those scents. The older the items are, I would just recommend adding more of them to your simmer pot.
It’s also good to note that cloves and star anise have strong scents, so you don’t really need a lot to get going. For the whole spices, I’d recommend starting small and adding more if you feel you need more.
Citrus
It’s citrus season and there’s little that beats the freshness scent of citrus. Orange peels, orange slices, and even dried orange slices are perfect in this stovetop air freshener. The scents aren’t heavy, but you’ll notice it. You can play around with how much to put it there if you like. The flesh will have nice flavor, but the essential oils of the orange are in the rind.
Fresh Fruit
So because this is for Christmas, I like to add fresh cranberries and pomegranate. The red is just so beautiful. These will give a subtle scent change – it’s mostly the color that’s so wonderful!
Rosemary
And then everything is better with fresh herbs. This time of year, rosemary is usually easy to find. it also has a beautifully relaxing scent and it doesn’t take much to smell it in your house.
How Long do Simmer Pots Last?
Simmer pots start to make your whole house smell in about 20 minutes or so (well, our house isn’t huge). And the simmer pot can last for HOURS. I’ve even used it for an hour or so and then relit the pot later that day and the next day.
The only thing you need to watch out for is the water level. Without water, the pot and ingredients will burn. The water is also how the scents are dispersed in the air.
If you don’t want to leave your stove on for that long, or don’t have space on your stovetop for a simmer pot, you can always use a slow cooker. Once the water warms up, you can leave the lid off
Christmas Simmer Pot Gifts
I love the idea of gifting simmer pot ingredients. You can gift them in a mason jar, an upcycled jar, a simple bag, or even a fun Stasher bag if you want to give something a little bigger for a present.
To make a simmer pot gift, you’ll need to be careful about the ingredients. The whole spices are fine. Everything else needs to be dry (completely dry). Note, I’m not saying dried, but any water in a sealed container will yield mold.
So, dry that rosemary. If you plan to include cranberries, give them a once over to make sure there aren’t any openings or soft spots. They seem tough, but they are still a fresh fruit. You’ll have to skip the pomegranates altogether. And I’d recommend dried orange slices or dried orange peel.
CHRISTMAS SIMMER POT
Ingredients
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 large orange
- 3 -4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- ⅓ cup whole star anise
- ¼ cup whole cloves
Instructions
- Fill a 5-6-quart pot ⅔ of the way full with water.
- Open the pomegranate and divide into sections. Use a channel knife or a citrus peeler to make long ribbons of orange peel.
- Add the pomegranate sections, orange peel ribbons, rosemary, cranberries, star anise, and cloves to the pot of water. Heat over medium to reach and then maintain a low simmer. Adjust the heat as needed. Add more water as the liquid evaporates.
