Have some lemons laying around and don’t feel like turning them into lemonade? Another fine option is to use those heavenly-scented fruits to create a beautiful DIY lemon potpourri.
A smell can be everything when it comes to the first impressions of a home. Even real estate agents know that the smell of fresh-baked bread or cookies makes a home feel warmer and more like home. So why is it that many of us forget about the scents of a home while we’re pulling together their home decor?
Take some time to think about not only how a room looks, but how it smells. And try to remember that the “scent” of a room should match the “flavor” of a room.
What do I mean by that?
I mean that an ultra-modern chrome and glass room shouldn’t be accented with soft, lavender, or rose petal scents… unless you’re going for the abstract.
It’s not that hard, when you think about it, to combine your eyes and your nose to create harmony in a room. And, of course, don’t forget about sound. You can not beat a good of blend of sight, sound, and smell that matches your home’s decor.
Lemon potpourri is one of my favorites because it smells so fresh and clean without being overpoweringly floral. And rather than opting for a packaged potpourri – which is often not quite as natural as you would think – making your own with dried lemon slices and other ingredients can enhance the overall aroma.
You can also create a blend of fragrances suitable for different occasions or different seasons. If you have a food dehydrator, you likely don’t need instructions on how to dry fruit. However, for those without such handy tools, there’s an easy way to do it using your standard oven.
Here’s How to Make Your Own DIY Lemon Potpourri
This simple, step-by-step guide will help walk you through how to turn those lemons into something other than lemonade.
Step 1
Remove any packaging, stickers, etc., and then wash under lukewarm running water to remove any dirt or residue. Allow fruit to dry. Once you have dried, clean fruit… you’re ready to begin.
Step 2
Slice the fruit evenly rings, approximately 1/4 inch thick. It’s ok to go narrower, but I would not recommend exceeding the 1/4 inch thickness. Discard the ends as they provide little value. If you’d prefer smaller pieces, cut the slices in half to create semicircles.
Step 3
Pluck the seeds from the fruit. I find the tip of a knife or a fondue fork works best for this task.
This step is optional, as you can also dry the lemons with the seeds intact if you prefer that look.
Step 4
Place the sliced fruit on wire cooling racks, the kind you use to cool off a cake after baking. You may have to search the cupboards for them, but almost every kitchen has them somewhere. Place the fruit-filled racks onto baking sheets to catch any drippings.
(Note: If you don’t have cooling racks, you can use parchment paper on baking sheets but the process of drying will take longer. )
Step 5
Cook on very low heat (175 F) for 5 – 6 hours, or until the fruit is completely shriveled and dried out.
Step 6
Allow to cool and then arrange them in a bowl or put them into a sachet with other dried spices, such as cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, eucalyptus leaves, cedar shavings, dried ginkgo leaves.
And there you have it, easy to make DIY lemon potpourri. Eventually, the delicious aroma may start to fade, but you can add some additional essential oil of lemongrass to refresh the aroma as needed.
Enjoy!