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The first week of May is National Herb Week.
"Mildred obviously enjoyed garden crafts, and the living room was full of her work—bouquets of dried flowers, some small framed pictures made with delicate arrangements of pressed pansies, lavender, and dried herbs, and a sweet-smelling bowl of rose potpourri."
—"An Unthymely Death," in An Unthymely Death and Other Garden Mysteries
A Handcrafted Herbal Gift
To celebrate National Herb Week, here is a recipe for a fragrant, old-fashioned rose potpourri that you will enjoy sharing with a friend. It was created by Mildred Rawlins, whom China and Ruby met when they were investigating the unfortunate demise of one of China’s gardening friends.
Old-Fashioned Rose Potpourri
- 2 cups dried rose petals
- 1 cup dried lavender
- 1/2 cup fresh or dried rosemary leaves
- 3 bay leaves, fresh or dried, broken
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon powdered cloves
- 4-5 whole star anise
- 2 tablespoons orris root powder (a fixative)
- 6-8 drops essential rose oil
- dried rosebuds for decoration
Mix dried materials together. Mix essential rose oil with orris root powder and toss with dried materials. Store in a covered container for 4-6 weeks, gently stirring or shaking every few days, to blend the fragrances. Display potpourri in a pretty bowl or basket, and renew scent with rose oil when necessary.
"To make Oyle of Roses—Take of oyle eighteen ounces, the buds of Roses (the white ends of them cut away) three ounces, lay the Roses abroad in the shadow four and twenty houres, then put them in a Glass to the oyle, and stop the Glass close, and set it in the sunne for at least forty days."
—John Partridge, The Treasure of Hidden Secrets and Commodious Concerts, 1586
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