Candle Jars with Pressed Wildflowers
Apple Spice Simmering Potpourri
To make hot process soap just like Great-Grandma but without the iron kettle:
1. Weigh each fat/oil in your recipe. Place fats/oils in a Crock-Pot on low. Heat until completely melted. Turn the Crock-Pot off.
2. Put on your goggles and gloves. Weigh the lye and the water. Always add lye to water, not the other way around. Mixing the lye and water is best done outside in the fresh air. Slowly pour the lye into the water. Stir with a slotted spoon and hang back so you don’t inhale the fumes. The mixture will appear cloudy at first, then quickly clear.
3. Still wearing goggles and gloves, take the mixture back inside and slowly pour it into the melted fats/oils in the Crock-Pot. Stir briefly with a spoon, then begin mixing with a stick blender. Use the stick blender on and off so you don’t burn out your tool. (Run the stick blender for a few minutes, then turn it off and hand-stir with the stick blender, and so on.) Most recipes take 5 to 10 minutes to trace.
4. When your mixture traces, it will be sort of like a soft pudding where you can draw a line in the mixture and see the “trace” you left behind.
5. Set your Crock-Pot to low, and put on the lid to start the cooking process. The soap will gradually take on a waxy appearance. The edges will appear dryer than the middle as they push up the sides of the Crock-Pot. Stir occasionally—this keeps the soap mixture cooking evenly. As it nears finishing, it will look like waxy mashed potatoes. You should continue to wear goggles and gloves when stirring the soap until it tests noncaustic (see below). The cook time of soap recipes will vary with the fats/oils involved. Most recipes will cook in about an hour.
6. Test soap with a pH strip. Finished soap should test between 7 and 10. You can also test soap using 1 percent phenolphthalein solution. (This is my preferred method.) To use the solution, remove a very small bit of soap (a half teaspoon is plenty) from the pot to a nonreactive surface. Add one drop of the solution to the soap. If the soap turns pink, it’s not done. (Throw away the test sample—don’t return it to your pot. Be careful not to touch the solution or get it on your skin or eyes. You can use a paper towel to wipe away the sample and dispose of it.) If the soap remains clear when the solution is dropped on it, it’s finished. (You can purchase 1 percent phenolphthalein solution online—put the words in a search engine to find places where it is available.)
7. Once the soap tests finished, you can get rid of the goggles and gloves and touch the soap all you want. It’s soap!
8. Quickly mix in any additives or colorant, adding fragrance last, then scoop the soap into a mold. Bang the mold down a few times to settle the soap. Wait about 12 hours for the soap to harden enough to cut.
I often use the same base recipe with different additives, colorants, and fragrance. Once you’ve found a recipe that you like, there’s no need to recalculate it when changing the additional elements as long as you do not change the fats and oils. Be sure to run any recipe through a soap calculator if changing the fats or oils.
As a rule of thumb, when including dry additives, a maximum of ½ cup dry additives in a 2-pound batch is recommended. (More may make your soap crumbly.) If using a nondry additive like honey, add 2 tablespoons per 2-pound batch.
Coloring: I prefer liquid soap colorant. I find dry pigments are more difficult to blend evenly. Be sure you’re using soap colorant (not food dye or candle dye, for example). Soap colorant can be purchased from soap-making suppliers. Use as many drops as it takes to reach your desired effect. You can also color soap naturally in a variety of organic ways, and keep in mind that some additives (such as ground cinnamon) will color your soap.
Fragrance: Use no more than 1 ounce fragrance oil or essential oil per 2 pounds of soap. (More may make your soap oily.)
Molds: Molds can be anything! When making hot process soap, by the time you put the soap in the mold(s), it’s soap. You may line the mold (I use freezer paper) to protect the mold (for example, a wood mold) from the oils in the soap and to make the soap come out easily.
To make round soaps, I use Pringles cans. Just tear the can away when hardened and cut the soap. In this case, you don’t have to line the mold. Be sure to wipe out crumbs thoroughly before using as a mold. Quart cardboard cartons can also be used without lining.
Molds must be chosen much more carefully for cold process method soap where the mixture is not yet saponified and the still-caustic soap may react with various materials (including the interior of Pringles cans). These suggestions are for hot process method soap only.
All my recipes make gentle soaps with light lather and soft conditioning. They’re “grocery store” soaps, meaning most of the ingredients can be found in any large grocery store. Each recipe makes a 2-pound batch.
To make the soap, follow the instructions for making hot process soap in a Crock-Pot, mixing in the additives and fragrance oil at the end before scooping into your mold(s).
APPLE-OATMEAL SOAP
Soap:
Crisco, 9.6 ounces or 272.155 grams
Olive oil, 9.6 ounces or 272.155 grams
Lard, 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
Coconut oil (76-degree melt point), 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
Distilled water, 12.16 ounces or 344.73 grams
Lye, 4.463 ounces or 126.524 grams
Additives and fragrance:
¼ cup rolled oats, ground
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground dried apple peels
1 ounce apple fragrance oil
LAVENDER-BASIL SOAP
Soap:
Crisco, 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
Coconut oil (76-degree melt point), 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
Olive oil, 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
Lard, 12.8 ounces or 362.874 grams
Water, 12.16 ounces or 344.73 grams
Lye, 4.483 ounces or 127.077 grams
Additives and fragrance:
1 tablespoon finely crushed dried basil
1 ounce lavender essential oil
WILD MINT AND HONEY SOAP
Soap:
Lard, 22.4 ounces or 635.029 grams
Olive oil, 9.6 ounces or 272.155 grams
Distilled water, 12.16 ounces or 344.73 grams
lye, 4.24 ounces or 120.195 grams
Additives and fragrance:
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon finely crushed wild mint*
1 ounce spearmint fragrance oil or peppermint essential oil
* If you don’t have wild mint, you can use any kind of cultivated mint.
This facial mask is deliciously moisturizing and well worth it. It’s a fun and easy beauty trick to create—right out of your cupboard.
Cocoa powder is for the antioxidants along with honey for nourishment, cream cheese for moisturizing, and oatmeal for conditioning.
⅓ cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cream cheese
¼ cup honey
3 teaspoons oatmeal
Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth. It makes a dark, rich concoction that looks like you could frost it on a cake. Transfer to a container.
Use a small spoon or mini Popsicle stick to dip into the container and spread it all over your face with your fingers. Let sit for about 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse. Store in the refrigerator. It will keep several weeks.
Beeswax is produced by honeybee “worker” bees. They secrete it from glands on the underside of their abdomens, then chew it up and mold it into the cells of the combs. That’s why they call them worker bees. It’s a big job for the beekeepers, too, who collect it from the hives and melt it down into cakes. (At least they don’t have to chew it.) For every 100 pounds of honey harvested, a beekeeper will get only 1 to 2 pounds of beeswax. It’s not easily come by, but maybe that’s also why beeswax is so very, very wonderful.
For these recipes, you can use a small spoon or mini Popsicle stick as an applicator to avoid contamination of the contents of your container.
The following measurements are by volume, except for the beeswax, which is by weight (weighed before melting).
4 ounces sweet almond oil
1 ounce beeswax
2 ounces water
8–10 drops essential oil (optional)
8–10 drops vitamin E
Melt the almond oil and beeswax. Remove from the heat and stir in the water. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Stir as it cools—before it becomes too cool to pour, transfer to a container (or divide between smaller containers).
You can also make a super-easy petroleum jelly–type moisturizer by combining ½ cup baby oil per ounce beeswax. After you melt the beeswax, remove from the heat and stir in the baby oil. (You can add a few drops of essential oil, too, if you want more scent. I really like beeswax just how it smells naturally.)
The measurements in this recipe are also listed by volume, except for the beeswax, which is by weight (weighed before melting).
1 teaspoon grated beeswax
2 teaspoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon lanolin
Liquid from one vitamin E capsule
2 drops lemon or orange essential oil (optional)
1 teaspoon honey
Melt the beeswax, coconut oil, lanolin, and vitamin E in a microwave-safe bowl. If you don’t want to use the microwave, you can also place the ingredients in a little custard cup inside a pot of water on the stove; heat gently to melt. Remove from the heat and stir in the essential oil and honey. Transfer to a small container. (This even tastes good.)
Homemade candles are so much less expensive than store-bought candles. What you need to get started:
Candle wax
A double boiler
Thermometer
Wicks
Fragrance oil (optional)
Candle dye (optional)
Containers
You can make container candles out of various types of wax, such as soy, gel, paraffin, or specially prepared container wax. I prefer “one-pour” container wax. (One-pour means the wax is formulated to form a smooth top with one pour, eliminating the need to top off to fill holes formed when regular wax settles as it cools. Candle wax is available from large craft stores or candle-making suppliers, which are easy to find online.)
Start by preparing your containers—you can use anything that will withstand heat. I have plenty of glass canning jars with lids to seal and retain scent for the candles I won’t use right away. You can buy prewaxed wire wicks, which makes wicking easy. Put a dab of glue or cool wax on the bottom and it will make the wick stick to the bottom of your jar nicely so you don’t have to worry about it moving around when you’re pouring the wax.
Pour water inside the base of a double boiler, add the wax pot, and heat the wax to the degree directed for your specific wax (for container wax, 180 degrees).
When the wax reaches its pouring temperature, add candle dye, which comes in liquid or solid form. (The dye package will direct how much to use for its specific formulation.) If you’re using solid dye, cut it up finely before adding it so that it will melt faster.
After the dye is mixed in, turn off the heat, let cool slightly, then add the fragrance oil, if using. You can use one scent or a combination to create custom scents. Most fragrance oils recommend 1 ounce of fragrance per pound of wax.
Pour the wax into the containers, being careful to keep your wicks centered. (If not using a one-pour wax, leave room in the jar and reserve wax to top off later after the candle cools.)
Let cool for several hours. Reheat reserved wax to pouring temperature, then top off the candles, if necessary.
Trim the wicks and you’re ready to light up.
For cheap, cheap container candles, recycle old candles. Ask all your friends and family to save their old candles for you that have burned too low to light again. Scrape or melt out the old wax, removing the wicks. Combine leftover wax from multiple candles and melt it down to pour into a new jar with a new wick for a brand-new (free) candle. Best of all, the dye and scent are already included! (You may get some interesting combinations of color and scent. You can add more fragrance oil also, if you wish.)
Hand-dipped tapers are easy to create—though time-intensive. There’s a reason hand-dipped tapers are expensive! Even so, it’s a simple and very satisfying project that can be done cheaply at home, and the sheer charm of hanging paired candles makes them a great gift, too. (Give them in pairs, uncut, and your recipients will hate to burn them!)
To make tapers, you’ll need taper wax and small flat braid wick sized for tapers. Taper wax is a hard wax with a high melting point, which provides a cleaner-burning result. You can find taper wax, sold in blocks, at large craft stores or online candle-making suppliers. Flat braid wick is sold in rolls, also at large craft stores or online. If you like, add scent and dye.
You’ll need some kind of setup to hang your candles between dips. The height you’ll need depends on the height you’re planning to make your tapers. For example, an average spaghetti box propped on quart jars works well for six-inch tapers. Set two quart jars about 10 inches apart on a protected surface. (Use newspaper, aluminum foil, or wax paper.) Place the box of spaghetti (empty or full, doesn’t matter) on top of the jars and hang the tapers over it with the nondipped center across the box. You could also use a paint stir stick, a piece of wood, or anything else you can find that will work.
The candles are dipped in pairs, so after determining the height of your tapers, measure off double that width (for two tapers) then figure the length in between. (Your tapers will hang in pairs from the portion of unwaxed wick left in the middle.) For six-inch tapers, cut lengths of about 18 inches. Six inches of wick for each candle plus 6 inches for the nondipped center between the candles from which the tapers will be hung while drying. Cut the number of lengths you’re intending to use.
To get started, melt the wax in a double boiler at the temperature specified in the packaging instructions for the type of wax you’re using. You need enough wax in the pot to reach the depth required for dipping your tapers, so you’ll need a pretty full pot. Holding the strand of wick doubled over evenly, dip the two wick ends to the height you’ve planned for your tapers. (You can mark the wick using a pen, if you like.) On the first dip for each wick length, hold the dip for a full minute to really soak the wick.
Hang the length of wick to cool, keeping the two tapers separated, and continue on until you’ve done the initial dip for each length you’ve cut. Go back to the first pair and dip again—this time, only for about 3 seconds. Hang to cool and go on to the next. Gradually with each round, the wax starts building up.
Each dip builds the coating surrounding the wick, turning it into a taper. As you dip the candles, blobs of wax will build up on the bottoms of the tapers. You can stop periodically, cut the blob off with a knife, and drop the extra wax back into the pot.
Dip your candles however many times you need to in order to get the result you want. This is the time-intensive part. It takes dozens of dips to build up to the width of a standard-size taper that will fit your average candlestick holder. (Set aside a couple of hours to work on this project.) A standard taper has a 7/8-inch base, but candlestick holders may vary. As you get close to that size, test-fit your taper in your candlestick holders and dip to the perfect size for your use.
As a finishing touch, you can do the last few dips in different colors of wax to add stripes. You can also roll the candles flat (except for the last inch or two) and twist them while they’re still warm for a special effect. Or leave them plain for an authentic, rustic look.
Hang the candles to harden for a day before burning. To use, cut the tapers apart and trim the wicks.
Leftover wax in the pot will be too shallow to dip long tapers, but you can use it to dip homemade birthday candles.
CANDLE JARS WITH PRESSED WILDFLOWERS
You can decorate a jar for all sorts of purposes, from holding your pencils to storing your herbs, but flowers and candles go together like . . . flowers and candles!
The simplest way to press flowers is the same way you did it when you were a kid. Separate flowers from the stems and carefully lay them down on a sheet of paper, cover with another sheet of paper, then press between the folds of a book. Stack up more heavy books on top. Most light, delicate flowers will press flat in a matter of hours or overnight, but you’ll need to keep them pressing longer to thoroughly dry out. How long it takes flowers to dry varies by the flower type, but you can speed it up by drying them in the microwave. (Press the flowers at least a few hours or overnight before drying in the microwave.)
To dry flowers in the microwave, place the pressed flowers between sheets of paper on a microwave-safe plate. Place something else, microwave-safe, on top. Heat them in short bursts, 15 seconds on high, until dry. Let the flowers cool completely between bursts of heat. Light, delicate flowers will dry quickly by this method.
To adhere pressed, dried flowers to a glass canning jar, use a clear craft glue. Thin the glue with water. This isn’t rocket science or brain surgery—don’t worry too much about how much water and how much glue. Add several squirts of glue to about a quarter cup of water and stir it up with a small painting brush.
With the jar resting on its side, brush a small amount of the thinned glue on the outside of the jar where you intend to place the flowers. Transfer the dried flowers carefully—tweezers are a good way to move them. Place each flower and press down lightly with the back of a spoon. (It’s better not to use your fingers.) As you place each flower, brush lightly over each one with the thinned glue mixture to seal.
The nice thing about this method, as opposed to using a varnish, is that if you ever want to do something else with the jar, you can simply wash it with hot water and soap to remove the flowers.
You can apply the flowers in any design you like, all on one side of the jar or wrapping around the jar. Get as creative as you like. You could add all sorts of other dried materials, including leaves. Fill the jar with candle wax and a wick to make a unique gift or something pretty to keep for yourself.
Make laundry detergent at home. You can! It’s easy, frugal, and doesn’t even take very long. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive—borax, washing soda and/or baking soda, and any supersudsing, hard-grating soap (such as Fels-Naptha, Ivory, or Zote). Even better, start with your own homemade plain soap.
To make a homemade batch of soap for laundry detergent use:
Lard, 16 ounces or 453.592 grams
Coconut oil (76-degree melt point), 16 ounces or 453.592 grams
Distilled water, 12.16 ounces or 344.73 grams
Lye, 5.191 ounces or 147.155 grams
Vegetarian version:
Crisco, 16 ounces or 453.592 grams
Coconut oil (76-degree melt point), 16 ounces or 453.592 grams
Distilled water, 12.16 ounces or 344.73 grams
Lye, 5.134 ounces or 145.538 grams
Follow the directions for making hot process soap. These recipes make 2 pounds of soap. If you want to add scent, add 1 ounce fragrance oil before placing the soap in the mold.
Borax, washing soda, and baking soda are all natural laundry boosters that help remove soils, fight stains, and freshen laundry—they’re soap enhancers. You can find borax, washing soda, and the laundry-size baking soda in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores.
To make a dry laundry soap mixture:
2 bars (approximately 4–5 ounces each) plain soap
2 cups borax
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda
Grate the soap as finely as possible. Combine the grated soap with the other ingredients and mix well. Store mixture in a container. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load. Double or triple the recipe to make large batches.
Laundry detergent is highly personal. Everyone has different issues. You may want to use more or less of any given ingredient depending on your needs. If you wash a lot of whites, you may want to add OxiClean (or a generic oxygen cleaning equivalent) to brighten whites. I work on a farm and I avoid whites like the plague, so that’s not a big problem for me. If it is for you, you could add it to your mixture, or add it separately for specific loads according to the product’s directions. You can add ¼ to ½ cup (or, you know, just a big splash, which is what I do) of white vinegar to the rinse cycle for softening. Vinegar also helps to remove any remaining soap. Take any homemade laundry detergent recipe as a starting point—once you start experimenting, you’ll come to know what works best for you.
For most basic homemade cleaners that will tackle almost every job in your house, you’ll need these standard supplies (along with water):
White vinegar
Ammonia
Rubbing alcohol
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Baking soda
Buy plain spray bottles to use for your homemade cleaners, or save old store-bought spray bottles to wash out and reuse. Be sure to label everything and store cleaners out of the reach of children and pets.
Undiluted white vinegar works wonders by itself. It’s very good for cleaning hard water deposits or soap scum. You can use ½ to a full cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle to soften laundry instead of store-bought fabric softener. (It won’t leave any vinegar smell on your laundry.) You can also use straight vinegar to remove mold and mildew. (Lemon juice works well for this, too.)
Vinegar is also a great stain remover on many surfaces. (Tip: Run ¼ cup vinegar in with a pot of water through your coffeemaker to remove stains on the carafe.) The wonders of white vinegar go on and on. Buy it in the bulk size.
This first recipe is very basic and is what I call “Kitchen Cleaner” because it’s great for cleaning countertops, appliances, backsplashes, and so on. It’s also great in the bathroom and effective on many carpet and other stains.
KITCHEN CLEANER
Use equal parts—
Water
White vinegar
My all-time favorite and most-used cleaner is glass cleaner.
GLASS CLEANER
1 cup water
1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 tablespoon white vinegar*
An easy furniture polish is ½ cup lemon juice per 1 cup olive oil. It will make your house smell so good, you’ll want to polish your furniture more often.
For vinyl floors, use 1 cup white vinegar in a gallon of water. For wood flooring, use ½ cup white vinegar in a gallon of water.
If you want any of your homemade cleaners to have fragrance, you can add a drop or two of any essential oil. For example, love the orange scent of some store-bought cleaners? Add a drop of orange essential oil. Or whatever scent you love.
Once you get the idea of how homemade cleaners are put together, you can experiment to make your own recipes for specific cleaning tasks. Ammonia is a strong cleaner for tough jobs. Olive oil adds softening and protection. Lemon juice dissolves dirt and eliminates odors. Alcohol is added to glass cleaner for the “evaporating” aspect, leaving your windows and mirrors clear and streak free. (Also good for many shiny fixtures.) Baking soda is a mild abrasive and deodorizer. Vinegar is also a deodorizer and a gentle cleaner (and adds shine to floors). A liquid soap (like Dawn dish liquid) can add extra cleaning and sudsing power when you need it.
Note: In case you get a hankering to include bleach in any of your homemade cleaners when you are experimenting, please note this: DO NOT combine bleach with ammonia or vinegar as this can create toxic fumes.
* You can use ammonia instead of vinegar if you need a stronger glass cleaner.
This is a very simple project that can be completed in a couple hours with one skein of yarn.
You can make this dishcloth smaller or larger by adding or removing from the starter chains. Just be sure to chain an odd number and single crochet across your first row in an even number and go from there. You could even add additional edging rows in single or half double crochet before doing the final double crochet ruffle. It’s an easy pattern to adapt.
Finished size: Approximately 9-inch square
Materials:
100% cotton worsted weight yarn (2 ounces)
Crochet hook, size F
Directions:
Row 1. Make a slip knot and chain 27. Single crochet (sc) in back ridge of second chain from hook and in each chain across. You should have 26 sc.
Row 2. Chain 1, turn; skip first sc, 2 sc in next sc, *skip next sc, 2 sc in next sc; repeat from * across. 26 sc in each row.
Repeat until work measures to an approximate 6¼- to 6½-inch square.
Round 1. (Do not turn work from this point forward.) Chain 1 and crochet evenly around all four sides in sc. (Stop periodically to make sure you are crocheting evenly so that work stays flat.) Make 3 sc in each corner and join last corner with a slip stitch.
Round 2. Chain 1, sc in each sc all the way around, making 3 sc in the middle sc of each corner. Join with a slip stitch.
Round 3. Chain 2 and half double crochet (hdc) in each sc all the way around, making 3 hdc in middle sc of each corner. Join with a slip stitch.
Round 4. The ruffly round! Chain 3. Make four double crochet (dc) in every other hdc stitch as you go around—except in the corners. In each corner, in the first hdc of the corner, make three dc. Chain 3. Skip the second corner hdc and make three dc in the third hdc of the corner. (After making each corner, skip one hdc stitch, then carry on with making four dc in every other hdc stitch.) Join with a slip stitch at the last corner and finish off.
Per quart of cool water, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar. Stir to mix well and dissolve sugar, then pour into the container where you’ll be placing flowers. You can measure to be exact, or just eyeball it. If your vase is smaller or larger, adjust your quantities to match.
The sugar is the food for the flowers. The lemon juice or vinegar is used to keep the flower water fresh and free of bacteria. An old-fashioned method for keeping flowers fresh was to drop a copper penny in the water. (Copper is a fungicide.) People also used to (and sometimes still do) drop an aspirin in the water for the same reason. I like to use a little lemon juice or vinegar. The point is to add something antibacterial, antifungal, and/or acidic to the water to keep it fresh. Use whatever you have on hand. I’ve even heard of people using lime soda. You could also use citric acid crystals. Whatever you have!
A few more tips for keeping flowers fresh longer: put flowers in cold water, not warm. Also, be sure to remove all the excess foliage below the water line to reduce the risk of rotting foliage in the water. If the vase water gets cloudy, replace it with fresh flower food water. If you got your flowers from the store, be sure to give them a fresh cut, at an angle, when you get them home, and cut them under water.
APPLE SPICE SIMMERING POTPOURRI
When making apple butter or other recipes using apples, I save the peels and cores, and even a few slices, for the dehydrator—to eventually become simmering potpourri.
Cinnamon sticks
Ginger slivers
Whole cloves
Dried apple peels, cores, slices
Use one cinnamon stick, broken, three slivers of fresh ginger, and about a teaspoon of whole cloves per batch, then add enough dried apple to make a heaping cup.
Place mixture in a pot and pour water into the pot until it’s about two-thirds full. Bring to a simmer. Your house will smell like apple pie.
I conjured up this potpourri mix for homemade Christmas gifts our first winter at Stringtown Rising, utilizing what was available to me, and have made some version of it every winter since. Think creatively and adjust the recipe to suit what you can get your hands on where you are. Using what you have around you makes the potpourri personal.
I always have a surplus of cinnamon sticks in my pantry, so this puts them to good use. The pinecones come from Georgia’s yard. She has tall pine trees all around her house. The hickory nuts can be picked up off the farm, and the white pine comes from the cuttings off our Christmas tree after trimming—making each gift of potpourri a piece of our tree. This usually leaves me with only the cost of the fruit.
And by the time I make up a huge turkey-roaster size pan of potpourri, the cost of that fruit goes pretty far in filling about a dozen bags of potpourri to go into gift baskets for family and friends.
What you need to make winter citrus potpourri:
Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Whole cloves
Cinnamon sticks
Hickory nuts
Pine cuttings
Pinecones
Fragrance oil
Quart-size Ziploc bags
The quantity of each item is up to you. Make as little or as much as you want, and weight each item in the mix according to what you have available or your personal preference.
Slice fruit thinly. Place in single layers on baking sheets. Poke cloves in orange slices if desired. Dry in a low oven (about 200°F) for several hours. (Watch fruit to make sure it doesn’t turn too brown.) If you have a dehydrator, follow your dehydrator’s directions for drying citrus fruit. After the fruit slices are dried and cooled, place them in a large bowl or pan (such as a roasting pan if you’re making a large quantity) and add cinnamon sticks, hickory nuts, and pine cuttings. Add a few drops of fragrance oil per cup of mix and toss. (For this mix, I like orange or lemon oil or cinnamon oil.) Measure 2 cups mix per quart bag, placing one pinecone in each bag. Seal bags to allow fragrance to steep for at least several days before using.
Poke cloves into whole oranges to make pomanders for potpourri centerpieces. To give as gifts, pack the orange pomanders separately from the dry mix. To display, 2 cups mix with one large pinecone makes a nice-sized bowl or small platter of potpourri when you add the orange pomander.