A seasonal autumn simmer pot, with orange, cloves, cinnamon, and rosemary, this will make your whole house smell cozier than ever! It's something anyone can make with everyday ingredients and is so much better than plug-in scents or wax melts.
For some more natural scent DIY recipes, try making a fully compostable lavender sachet or spiced orange pomander. If you have plenty of flowers around, you can make your own tussie-mussie, too!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Fruit: use old fruit (not mouldy) for this recipe if possible. Keep in mind that you're going for a nice smell, and won't even notice what it looks like.
- Rosemary: if you don't have rosemary, thyme is a nice substitute.
- Cinnamon: a teaspoon of ground cinnamon can be used in place of cinnamon sticks, but it won't smell as strongly.
How to Make a Simmer Pot
Step 1: add all of the ingredients to a pot and bring it to a low boil over medium heat.
Step 2: reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about half an hour. You can keep it going longer if you find the scent isn't strong enough at that point, but will have to top up the water every half hour.
Top Tips
- Use older fruits: a dried out orange or soft, mealy apple are perfect to use in simmer pots. The scent is still there!
- Reuse it: this can be used for 2-3 days, as long as you refrigerate the mixture, covered, once it's cooled back down. If you omit the apple and use orange peel, you can use it for up to a week, reheating daily, and refrigerate overnight each time.
- Keep the doors open: for the scent to travel through your whole home, keep the doors open while the simmer pot is on.
FAQ
Can I use peels for a simmer pot?
Yes! If you don't have old fruit sitting around, simply add the peel of an orange and the peel and core of an apple to replace the whole fruits. It won't look at nice but it'll still smell amazing!
Can you drink the contents of a simmer pot?
Sure, you could, since you're essentially making a spiced fruit tea. You might not like the way it tastes, though – it's like a weak tisane.
How many times can you reuse a simmer pot?
While some people say you can only use it once if there's fruit in your simmer pot, I've simmered and then refrigerated the same pot for up to three days. The trick is not to leave it out at room temperature once it's cooled back down.
If you make this Fall Simmer Pot or any other DIY recipes on Wholehearted Eats, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more WHE, follow along on Instagram or subscribe for new posts via email.
Autumn Simmer Pot
Equipment
- Medium sized pot
Ingredients
- 1 orange sliced
- 5 cloves
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 apple sliced
- ½ lemon
- Water to cover
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a pot and cover with water. Leave about an inch of space at the top of the pot.1 orange, 5 cloves, 2 sticks cinnamon, 2 sprigs rosemary, 1 apple, ½ lemon, Water to cover
- Cover and bring to a low boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. At this point you can either turn it off, or add more water to cover and continue to simmer.
- You'll have to continue adding water every half an hour if you want to continuously simmer. Otherwise, let it cool down and refrigerate for up to three days, reusing as frequently as you'd like in that time.
I love this! Thank you for sharing. I’ve been thinking all week I need to look for new summer pot ideas. ❤️