Dry Potpourri
As seen on the Sonoran Living program.

Making potpourri is so much fun. After you do your first foraging in your yard, your neighbor’s yard and desert trails for interesting pods, leaves and flowers to dry, you will never look at the ground and your surroundings the same again! We have extraordinary pods from many desert plants and trees. Experiment in drying leaves and flowers throughout the summer for making potpourri. There are several desert flowers that are colorful that you can collect often off the ground that have already fallen off and dried. You can see how well the flowers will keep their color by seeing them dried on the ground. So, beat your gardener to the yard before cleanup and gather your fall harvest!

Ingredients:
Dry pods, leaves, flowers and nut berries. Other items such as cinnamon sticks and anise pods may be used as well. Just let your imagination run free.
NOTE: Scent your dry desert harvest with warm earthy scents. The oils I used on today’s show are

Atlas Cedarwood – composing, harmonizing
Benzoin Resin – soothing, uplifting
Angelica Root – relieves impatience and exhaustion
Bay – stimulates imagination and confidence
Juniper Berry – cleanses the mind from negative “vibes” from others
Myrrh – spiritual awareness, strength and courage
Clary Sage – seductive and warm, encourages dream recall
Sage – strengthens the memory, enlivens the senses, tones the conscious mind
Eucalyptus – balances mood extremes, clears head of mental exhaustion

You will also need a fixative. I have used
  Benzoin powder
  Orris root powder.
NOTE: I make a little additional powder that I keep in a tightly sealed jar to freshen the potpourri every month or as needed.

Method:

Dry cook the various pods you picked to make sure there are no bugs living inside the pods. Do this by putting them on a baking sheet and cooking at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or so. Let them cool before using.
Mix 4-5 cups of an interesting mix of colors and textures in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, put a total of 2 Tablespoons of fixative powder, Benzoin and/or Orris Root. Put drops of essential oils into the fixative and mix well between fingers. Make the powder fairly strong. Use about 10 drops of each oil listed above and see how you like that. Adjust to your liking. Sprinkle over the potpourri mixture. Transfer the potpourri mixture into a glass jar that can be tightly sealed. Store in a cool dark place for 1-4 weeks to allow scents to blend and mature. Stir (or shake gently) every few days if possible. When ready to use, place in an open bowl or in an open decorative glass jar.