Making Potpourri and Rosewater

Hello Dear Sisters,
I have decided to make some changes in my blog,  please do let me know what you think after a few posts.


Well do you often wonder what to do with those beautiful roses in your garden after they have bloomed.  They never seem to last very long once they have completely opened.  So here are some things you can do with them.  First my daughters and I always love to cut fresh roses whenever they are in bloom and we love to put them in a pretty vase to dress up our table for that day.  After a day or so the petals will begin to fall off.  What we like to do next is to either make live potpourri or we like to make rosewater. The way we make live potpourri is to take all the petals off the flowers and place them in a pretty bowl.  We also like to add any wild flowers we may find on our property at the time.   Take the wildflowers and add them to the bowl of live rose petals.  This helps to add to the beauty of the bowl.  

THE MAKING OF LIVING POTPOURRI
I mix the potpourri daily to assure that all the petals are drying out evenly.   After my live potpourri starts to dry out,   I will place the bowl on my table because it adds such beauty and color.  I will also refreshen the scent, as it is lost ,with essential oils of my choice. Whatever scent I use depends on my mood.  This is a wonderful way to save yourself some money for you no longer have purchase potpourri from the store you,can now make your very own.

Smelling the roses while still in the garden.

Picking the roses from the garden

 Smelling the wildflowers and picking them.

 These pretty wildflowers have a heavenly scent they smell just like honey.

 Enjoying the smell of the honey scented yellow wildflowers.

These clovers are lavender in color. They are so pretty. We have pink ones, white ones, lavender ones and dark purple ones so far that we have found.

 One of my favorite flowers are lilacs. I was brought lilacs everyday until the flowers died off. I loved it.

 Some flowers arrangements on our table to enjoy during meal times.

Here is the finished product of some rose petals that fell off and some wildflowers placed on top for the liveflower potpourri. This is just the beginning of what we ended up with. Enjoy!

 Bowl of dried potpourri after all our living potpourri dried out

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 Picking the roses to make the rosewater.

Pulling the petals off the roses

Proud of how much she pulled off so far.

This is what is left after you pull all the petals off the rose. The seeds are attached to this part.

Here are the seeds that come off that we throw into the garden. We either throw the whole inner part of flower with the seeds still on it or we pull them off and just throw the seeds.

Here are the packed down rose petals. I did not have enough to do a full batch. We recently made some so I only did a half batch.

Measure out your water it just needs to be approx. Enough to cover the petals.

Pour the petals into your pot and cover with the water.

Boil petals until half the water has evaporated out.

When done let the water cool then strain out the petals. Squish out all the water from the petals.



Here is what you get. You may now add your witchhazel and glycerin if you choose to do so. Also if you add a few drops of Rose Essential oil if you want to enhance the smell and benefits. Be sure your Essential oils are true oils. Wyndmere Naturals puts out a good product when it comes to Essential oils. Store it in the fridge when done.

I then put mine in a spray bottle to spritz on my face.

Here is a hot little girl who is being spritzed by the rosewater after being in the hot sun.

 
When making rosewater, we pluck all the rose petals off the roses and we scatter the seeds all over the garden area so we get more next year.  All my girls have so much fun doing this.  I wish I had pictures to share of them doing it they just have such great fun.  (Step by step pictures to follow in a few days)

2 cups of freshly packed rose petals
2 1/2 cups of distilled or reverse osmosis water (be sure petals are covered)
7- 9 drops of food grade glycerin (optional)
2/3 cups of witch hazel (optional)

5-7 drops of Rose essential oil (optional)

Fill your measuring cup with the rose petals.  We use roses of all colors, orange, red, yellow, pink and lavender or whatever you have.  Once you have petals be sure you don't have any bugs in the cup.  I had a few bees and wasps along with ewigs in my cup of petals this time around.  One time I had grabbed a bunch of petals off a rose and after I placed them in my measuring cup out flew a wasp, I was lucky I did not get bitten. So be sure you check the flower for bees or bugs before grabbing for it especially if your children are helping.  After you have gathered all your petals bring them in and put them into a pot.  Pour the water over the petals and then bring the water to a rolling boil.  After the water boils, lower the heat and let it simmer until half of the water boils out.  Once the water has evaporated out turn the heat off and  put the pot aside until the water cools down.  After the water is cooled down strain out the petals, be sure to squeeze the petals really good out to get all the rosewater out of them.  I strain them through a mesh strainer and I push down on the petals until all the liquid is completely squeezed out.  You may use cheese cloth, a paper towel or a coffee filter if you so desire.  Whatever you have on hand is fine.  Then add your water to a clean quart mason jar.  This makes a great natural facial and body astringent.  If you want it to be more astringent add 2/3 cup of witch hazel.  If you want it to be more moisturizing add a few drops of food grade glycerin approx 7-9 drops.  If you want it less astringent do not add the witchhazel.  If you want it to be less moisturizing leave out the glycerin.  Rosewater is a natural astringent but it is more effective when you add the witchhazel.  You do not have to add the Rose essential oil but it sure adds a nice smell.  That is all there is to it.  You may now store it in the fridge to keep it fresh.  You can fill a small spray bottle and keep it in the fridge and spritz your face any time of day.  This feels especially nice on hot summer days like we have been having lately.   Rosewater from the store is very expensive so this is another money saving tip.

This is also something you can make now and put in a pretty bottle later to give as a gift to friends and family.  Which again is another money saving tip for it makes a great gift and cost you pennies to make.  Well I hope you have fun picking your roses after you have enjoyed seeing them bloom in your garden and continue to make use of them long after you have picked them! 

Lord thank you so much for your beautiful creation and all the wonderful uses they have in our life!  We praise you and thank you for allowing us to enjoy such beauty in so many ways!