DIY: Cinnamon Pine Cones

I have been decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas this week. One of my favorite but simple decorations I like to use are cinnamon scented pine cones. I set them in baskets around my home, hang them on wreaths and hang them on my tree. Have you ever wondered what companies use to scent the pine cones with to make them so strongly scented? I thought about it this year, I am betting that the scents they use are man made and full of chemicals. I decided to try and make my own scented pine cones.

 



My grandson and I  went out and gathered a nice number of pine cones. I hosed them off . I wanted to encourage any little critters to leave and find new homes.

Old cooking pot with pine cones.

Next, I set a full pot of water on to boil. I threw in a 1/4 cup of ground cinnamon, a hand full of cinnamon sticks, and a 1/2 dozen whole cloves. You could also add a couple whole star anise. I brought the water to a boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes. I wanted the water to be very scented.

 

I then allowed the water to cool a bit and poured the scented water over the pine cones. Be very careful if your water is still hot.

I left the pot sit on my deck for about three weeks. I stired the water every couple days or so. Twice over the three weeks I drained off the old water and  added another batch of hot scented water to the pot. The longer they sit in the scented water the stronger smell of cinnamon they will absorbe.
When I felt they were ready. I poured off the water and laid them out to dry. It took over a week to dry them completely. It had rained once during the week and I forgot to cover them,

When making my basket I tucked in a couple cinnamon sticks in among the pine cones for extra scent. I will add a coupel drops of clove oil to the basket as the scent fades. What holiday decorations have you been working on?