In days gone by when homes were not so well ventilated and people were less aware of the necessity for good hygiene, people used herbs to freshen the living quarters. The simplest way of doing this was simply to strew the floor with the herbs. This would not be terribly practical these days, so one can compromise by making such things as pot-pourris, pomanders and herb pillows.

Pot-Pourri

The dried herbs combined with a little fixative will make a potpourri last for a long time. Measure your herbs by the handful. Do it this way and you will get that important “feel” for the herbs.

Try this basic one:

3      handfuls of dried rose petals
3      handfuls of dried rose geranium leaves
3      handfuls of dried rosemary
3      handfuls of dried lavender

These give the general scent. Then add more exotic spices to give piquancy:­

2      tablespoons of crushed cloves
2      tablespoons of crushed and ground cinnamon
2      tablespoons of allspice

A few drops of an essential oil of your choice, e.g. sandalwood.

Then add the fixative, which consists of 3 tablespoons of orrisroot and 3 tablespoons of gum benzoin or calamus powder.

Simply mix your herbs and place in an appropriate container or basket. Having made your fixative, sprinkle over the potpourri.

Herb Jars & Herb Pillows

Another method is to get a large jar and to drop your half-dried herb flowers or leaves in. Form a layer half an inch in depth, then sprinkle with salt. Compress this down and leave for a couple of days. Then add another layer of half an inch (of different herbs) and another sprinkling of salt. After another couple of days mix the layers up and compress them again before adding another layer of herbs and sprinkling of salt. The accumulating layers are mixed whenever a new one is to be added. When the jar is full it should be left in the dark somewhere cool for two or three weeks. This can then be used as a potpourri, or left as a jar with the lid off. Alternatively, the contents can be used in a herb pillow. To make this one merely make a linen pillow of about 4 X 6 inches into which the dried herbs are stuffed. With a little thought you can make herb pillows which would help with sleep, catarrh, etc.

Pomanders

You may not know but these were originally made for medicinal purposes. Different herbs were stuck into balls and worn for their protective amuletic purposes or for their supposed medicinal value.

Take a small orange and stick lots and lots of cloves into it. Then let it dry out over your cooker for a fortnight or a month. Then make a mixture of all sorts of exotic spices and mix with orrisroot. Then roll the orange in the mixture and tie a ribbon around it, doubling it back so that the fruit is held in quarters. Then hang it in a room or cupboard where you wish it to do its freshening work!

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