Simmer Pots: A Natural Way to Scent Your Home This Holiday Season
One of our favorite ways to fill our house with cozy, seasonal scents is with a simmer pot. Simmer pots are a simple blend of fruit, spices, and herbs warmed gently on the stove or in a crockpot. It’s natural, beautiful, and feels like a little ritual of calm in the middle of holiday busyness.
And the best part?
Simmer pots are easy, customizable, and made from ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen.
Let’s walk through how to make one and a few of our favorite blends here at Highland Oak Farm.
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🌿What is a Simmer Pot?
A simmer pot (or stovetop potpourri) is a mix of fruit, herbs, and spices that simmers gently in a pot of water, releasing fragrance throughout your home. Unlike candles or commercially scented products, simmer pots use pure, whole ingredients—nothing artificial, nothing harsh, just real botanicals doing what they do best.
Simmer pots are:
- Non-toxic
- Customizable
- Budget-friendly
- A lovely way to use up herb scraps and citrus peels
- A warm ritual for winter mornings or holiday evenings
On the farm, we often have a pot simmering while we’re working around the house. It makes the whole house feel warm and alive. And when the kids come home from school, they instantly feel the comfort its nostalgia and comfort.
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🍊A Cozy Companion to Simmer Pots: Paine’s Balsam Fir
While simmer pots fill the kitchen with citrus and spice, another scent quietly anchors our home during the holidays: Paine’s Balsam Fir incense. We use their adorable small wood cabin for our incense holder because the smoke puffs out of its chimney. It's so adorable and comes with 10 balsam incense sticks. You can find it here!
It’s not your typical incense. It smells exactly like fresh-cut firewood and balsam fir. A tiny wooden brick smolders like a miniature woodstove, creating the soft, natural aroma of a woodstove in a winter cabin. We’ll burn a piece in the living room while a simmer pot bubbles in the kitchen, and together they make the house smell like a cozy Christmas lodge.
If you love warm, woodsy, authentic holiday scents, pairing a simmer pot with a Paine’s fir brick is absolutely magical.
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Basic Simmer Pot Formula
Add the following to a small pot filled halfway with water:
- 1–2 slices of citrus (orange, lemon, or dried citrus)
- 1–2 aromatics (cinnamon, cloves, star anise)
- 1–2 herbs (rosemary, sage, mint, thyme, or bay)
- A splash of vanilla or a few cranberries (optional)
Simmer on low and top off with water as needed.
If you prefer not to use your stovetop, a small uncovered slow cooker works beautifully.
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🌲Our Favorite Simmer Pot Blends
Inspired by the ingredients we grow, dry, and use here on the farm.
1. Farmhouse Christmas Simmer
Perfect for December mornings or when decorating the tree.
- 1 dried orange slice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2–3 cloves
- A few cranberries (fresh or dried)
- A small piece of a Christmas tree clipping or rosemary
This one smells like a walk through a Christmas tree farm with a cup of mulled cider.
2. Winter Hearth Simmer
Warm, woodsy, and slightly smoky.
- Orange peel
- Juniper berries
- Bay leaf
- Cinnamon piece
- A pinch of dried or fresh ginger
Great for cozy evenings or snow days.
3.. Citrus & Spice Kitchen Simmer
Bright and refreshing with a little holiday cheer.
- Lemon slice
- Orange rind
- Star anise
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom pod
- A few dried apple slices (optional)
4. Herbal Garden Simmer
If you prefer a lighter, clean scent.
- Lemon peel
- Fresh or dried rosemary
- Mint or lemon balm
- Bay leaf
This one feels like a greenhouse. Earthy, herbal, and uplifting.
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🧺Where to Get Botanical Ingredients
You can make simmer pots entirely from:
- Christmas tree cuttings
- Citrus peels
- Apple cores
- Whole spices already in your kitchen
- Dried orange slices
- Juniper berries
- Cinnamon sticks
- Cloves
- Dried herbs
- Dried apple rings
- Cranberries
- Bay leaves
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🎁Make It a Ritual This Season
Whether you’re simmering oranges after baking pies, filling the house before guests arrive, or just wanting a cozy December afternoon, we hope this little guide brings warmth into your home.
From our farm to your stove:
Happy simmering. 🧡