Wet Potpourri

• 2 qts leathery dry rose petals, lavender flowers, and herbs (basil, majoram, pineapple mint, rosemary)
• Coarse, uniodized salt
• 1/2 vanilla bean, crushed or chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed nigella seeds
• tangerine skin, chopped and with the white membrane removed
• 2 heaping tbsps mixed spices (cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, ginger)
• 12 whole cloves, crushed
• 1/2 oz. orris root,
• 1/2 oz. powdered gum benzoin,
• 5 drops of essential oil (rose geranium, patchoule, or orange blossom but never more than one)

When the flower petals are partially and feel leathery, Pour them into a large, straight sided crockery jar in layers alternated with sprinklings of course salt. Pack the salt and petals firmly and when the jar is 3/4 full, place a weight on the top to press them down. Do not place metal directly on the petals; instead, use a ceramic weight or place a plate on top of the mixture and set a metal weight on the plate. As soon as moisture drawn out by the salt rises to the top, stir up the petals and let them cure for 10 days. During this period they should not be disturbed. The petals will form a moist cake; when you are ready to do the final blending, break it into small pieces. Since the
salt removes the color from flower petals, this potpourri is best put into opaque jars. The fragrance of wet potpourri is very heavy, so these mixes usually  are kept in tightly covered containers and opened when their fragrance is desired. Mix the rose petals, lavender flowers, and herbs together and pack them in salt to make a moist cake. When the mixture is cured, break up the cake very finely and blend it with the vanilla bean, nigella seeds, tangerine skin, and spices. Add the fixative and oil and pack the potpourri in opaque containers.