FLOWERS
You've all seen a flower so perfect in form, colour and texture that you wish you could keep it forever. With your Ultimate Dehydrator you can now dry these flowers and make fragrant Pot Pourri.
Drying Flowers
Preserve garden and nature favourites for attractive dried flower arrangements, Christmas and holiday decorations, and Pot Pourri. Help your children dry specimens for their science class.
Many lovely flowers, foliage, flowering grasses, seedheads, cones and non-flowering plants may be dried simply by placing on drying trays and drying at 55º-63ºC until no moisture is evident. This is wonderful for those of us who are too busy to experiment with other techniques, and also for the beginner who has not attempted preserving flowers before.
Quite interesting arrangements can be made with these dried materials.
Materials suitable for drying by this method are bracts, cultivated and wild grasses, seedheads, foliage and everlasting flowers.
POT POURRI
Home dried Pot Pourri and sachets are fun and easy to do in your dehydrator.
Take advantage of your flower garden in the summer by dehydrating petals, for Pot Pourri, to use the rest of the year. Combine petals with store-bought spices, orris root powder and essential oils to make inexpensive, elegant gifts.
Pick flowers when they are about three-quarters open. When they are fully open, they lose fragrance. Gather about twice the amount you believe you'll need, since they shrink as they dry.
Remove petals from flower heads and pull herb leaves from their stems. Spread in a single layer on a Clean-A-Screen® and place in your Dehydrator.
Set temperature at 35º-55ºC. Dry until brittle, which may take from 2 to 12 hours, depending upon the plants, and the amount used.
Store different flowers and herbs separately in covered jars until you're ready to mix. Keep in a cool place, out of direct sunlight.
Experiment with different combinations, mixing small quantities and recording the results until you come up with a blend that you like.
To blend ingredients, measure and stir dried materials into a large bowl.
When you have the right blend of colour and fragrance, add fixative, spices, and oil. Age in a tightly sealed jar for 2-6 weeks, shaking occasionally to blend fragrances. Package in smaller decorative containers or bags for gifts or personal use.
RECIPE
Sweet & Spice Potpourri
For a perfect holiday gift, place one cup of this recipe in a lace bag tied with a colourful ribbon.
1 cup dried rose petals
1/4 cup dried lavender blossoms
1/8 cup dried rosemary
1/8 cup dried chamomile
1/2 cup dried grated orange peel
1 tsp powdered orrisroot
2 tsp orange-spice tea
1 tbl coriander seed
1 tbl whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon, crumbled
1/3 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 drops rose oil
1 drop orange oil
1 drop lavender oil
1/2 cup dried bachelor's button petals (for colour)
In a large bowl, combine rose petals, lavender, rosemary, chamomile and orange peel. Add orrisroot, tea and spices. Add oils, sprinkling lightly over mixture. Mix in bachelor's button petals. Makes about 2 cups potpourri.
There are numerous ingredients that produce wonderful smelling potpourri! Experiment with plants that you have available or purchase plants from a herbalist, plant nursery or supermarket.