Christmas Simmer Pot Gift with Free Printable Tag

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Simmer pots make great handmade gifts that are easy to assemble and full of the best smells of the Christmas season: warm spices, vanilla, citrus and cranberry.

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This Christmas simmer pot recipe makes a great gift and is sure to fill your entire house with the scents of the season. 

How to Use Simmer Pot Recipes for Handmade Gifts: 

Simmer pot recipes make a thoughtful gift any time of year! Easy to make and package, simmer pots are the perfect gifts to slip inside cellophane bags or package in glass jars with some ribbon and twine. Pair the packaged simmer pot with the included free printable gift tags for the perfect present. 

For a truly thoughtful and easy diy Christmas gift add a bottle of homemade vanilla extract with the simmer pot kit to make the whole house smell wonderful. 

Who to Gift Simmer Pot Kits to:

Simmer pot kits make the perfect teacher gifts, great hostess gifts, neighbor gifts, as well as a nice party favor for any Christmas party guest. 

Ingredients for a Good Smelling Christmas Simmer Pot:

• Fresh or Dehydrated orange slices, apple slices or lemon slices
• Fresh or Dehydrated Cranberries 
• Whole spices such as Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, Star Anise, Allspice 
• Vanilla extract
• Rosemary Sprigs 

Choosing Between Fresh or Dried Ingredients:

Fresh and dried ingredients both work well for making a simmer pot in a crock pot or making your own stovetop potpourri. However, dried fruits and spices are needed for packaging simmer pot bags or jars as homemade gifts. 

Using dried or dehydrated fruits and spices in homemade potpourri help prevent mold from growing and keep the ingredients fresh for gifting. You can purchase dehydrated fruits or make your own. 

How to Make Your Own Dehydrated Fruit using a Dehydrator: 

To dehydrate apples and citrus fruits such as oranges, slice large oranges into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Lay in a single layer on the trays of a dehydrator. 

Set the temperature to 135 degrees and dry for 6-10 hours or until the fruit is dry enough to “snap” into two pieces when bent. Store dehydrated fruit in a sealed air tight container.

How to Assemble a Simmer Pot Kit:

Combine dehydrated oranges, dried cranberries, whole cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, star anise and dried rosemary sprigs in a mason jar, cellophane bag or other airtight container. 

Wrap the container with a festive ribbon or twine and add the included free printable tag for a wonderful gift. 

Optional Simmer Pot Variations:

There are many different ways you can make simmer pots aside from this Christmas simmer pot recipe. 

Simmer pot recipes can be made from various combinations of dried fruits and herbs to suit the season- warm and cozy for the fall and winter and bright and clean for spring and summer.

Dried fruits like apples, pears, lemons and oranges are all great in simmer pot recipes. Dried spices and herbs like cloves, allspice, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander, thyme, rosemary or even fresh pine needles are all a great way to add additional scents to simmer pots. 

How to Prepare Simmer Pots in the Crock Pot, Instant Pot or Stove Top:

My favorite method for infusing my home with the warm and cozy scents of the season is to use a slow cooker on low or the Instant Pot on low slow cook to gently fill my home with the smells of Christmas.

Simply add 8 cups of water and contents of the simmer pot kit to the bowl of the slow cooker and allow the holiday simmer pot to fill the air with the scents of the holiday. 

If preparing a simmer pot on the stove you will fill a stock pot with 8 cups of water and the dry ingredients and allow the mixture to simmer on low. When using the stove top be sure to keep an eye on the water level refilling as necessary. Make sure to not let the pot run dry

Once you try this easy Christmas potpourri in your own home, you will want to gift this simmer pot recipe to everyone on your Christmas list to help them get in to the holiday spirit.

Free Printable Recipe Card and Printable Gift Tags:

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