All photos credit: Lynda Felton
The history of spice has always been entwined with travel and adventure. The sweet yet earthy aroma of grated nutmeg, for example, evokes memories of imbibing Indonesian soups and holiday egg nogs in cabins in Quebec.
The sensory appeal of these flavourful seasonings goes beyond food: As autumn and winter approach and we spend more time indoors, we can use spices to refresh our living spaces by literally clearing the air. Here’s how you can create a more homey space using natural ingredients.
Spicy Simmer
For an instant air freshener, one of our favourite tricks is to simmer spices in a saucepan filled with water.
You can experiment using whatever seasonings you have in your cupboards. It’s also a good way to make use of ingredients that are nearing their best before date. The heat releases the rich aromas and, if your nose gets dry, also helps humidify your home. Bring the water to a boil; then let the pot simmer for as long as you want (as long as it’s attended). Check in every 30 to 60 minutes to top up the water if need be.
Our favourite spice to simmer with in the fall and winter months is star anise. Its sharp, licorice-like scent is perfect for reinvigorating indoor stale air and, in aromatherapy, it has been used to relieve respiratory issues such as cold and flu. To make this infusion even better, we’ve added a few slices of lemon that help make our pan even prettier.
Pomander Balls
Using cloves is a tried and true way of invigorating rooms that goes back for centuries. Cloves, of course, are the dried flower of a myrtle tree originally found in Indonesia. In cuisine, it is most associated with autumnal delights such as apple and pear pies and in mulled beverages. In aromatherapy, it is said to help energize the mind.
The fact that dried cloves are kind of like nails makes it easy to pierce the rind of an orange. And the combination of bright, citrusy notes of the orange with the stronger, sweet aroma of the cloves makes for a wonderful and long lasting, all natural air freshener called a Pomander Ball.
We make this ball by simply using a large needle to pierce the orange rind to make way for the cloves. If you want to place your pomander in a drawer or cupboard, make sure you let it dry out for about four weeks first. Then wrap it up in a ribbon so that it can hang in a closet like a sachet. Another, more immediate option is to simply arrange an attractive wooden bowl full of balls for a tactile and visual treat.
Chai Sachet
As hardy Canadians, we love to make our outdoor times last as long as possible. As the weather gets cooler, we still want to spend time with friends and family on decks and patios. So we swaddle ourselves in cozy wool throws and layer up in soft sweaters.
Our outdoor spaces are more enjoyable if those comfy cardigans and blankets smell as fresh as they feel warm. A great way to keep your textiles fragrant is by storing them with a sachet filled with tea leaves.
Fragrant tea leaves have two great, freshening qualities. First, tea leaves are highly absorbent and can pull unwanted odor from your favourite textiles. And because they are penetrable, they also hold the scents of most beloved spices. This makes them the perfect medium for potpourri or scented sachets for your sweater drawer.
Since we love the warmth of a hot cup of Indian chai, we made an aromatic mix of green tea and cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and masala spice. We also added some orris root as a natural fixative to make the smell last even longer. We find that it really evokes the smell of a toasty Eastern beverage.
Making sure that the mélange is completely dry, you can tip the tea leaves and ground spices into small muslin or linen drawstring bags. These pretty potpourris will also keep your indoor rooms smelling delicious throughout the colder months.