Published 23 March 2015 ● Last Updated on 24 November 2016
The first weeks of March may still be chilly as I write this down in Spain, but I can already see the manifestations of Spring all around me. The grass is finally settling back into a luscious green, trees and flowers are ready to sport their summer colours and the days are finally getting longer. Going on long walks during this time of the year pulls us out of our winter blues and readies us for mellow summer nights to come. We feel so inspired by the change around us, we feel brave enough to embrace new beginnings in our own lives.
Singapore may not be witness to such a metamorphosis, but blessed with sun round the year, it still knows the joy of warm, playful spring weather and how nature’s display of beauty makes us feel all tingly inside. If you’d like to bring a bit of that spring feeling into your own home, why not make your own colourful potpourri? Here’s how ...
Step 1: Choosing Your Ingredients
If you regularly have flowers adorning your table or living room, you will be happy to know you no longer have to discard them at the end of their life cycle. Instead, use your scented floral friends for your home-made potpourri. Simply clip off the flowers and set them aside. Now have a look around your kitchen: What other deliciously fragrant possibilities do you have lying around? Perhaps some cinnamon sticks, star anise or cloves? Great! Add that to your mix of flower buds!
Step 2: Adding Some Citric Freshness
Citric fruits are used in a lot of air-fresheners, cleaning products, body creams, shampoos and the like and we can see why: Lemons and oranges have a fresh, energizing and clean smell and on top of that, they are known to evoke feelings of joy. Cut a few slices of oranges and lemons and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add them to your flower and spice mix.
Step 3: Drying Your Spring-Fling Mix
Line a oven tray with a sheet of baking paper and preheat your oven at 200°C. Spread out your Spring-Fling mix in the tray and put it in the oven. Your flower, spice and citrus mix should take about an hour in the oven to dry. Check on it regularly to make sure nothing is getting burnt. You’re going to love the fact that this process will make your kitchen smell delicious!!
Step 4: Showing Off Your Spring-Fling Potpourri Mix
Once your potpourri mix has cooled, find a nice prominent place in your living room. Use a little basket, a mason jar or a colourful bowl to put your Spring-Fling mix in and you will see it will immediately brighten your room and tickle your nostrils!
– Roxanne is a German/British Journalist/Author based in Spain who shares our passion for all things old and quirky.
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