I Made a Retro Spring Simmer Pot, and Now My Home Smells Amazing

I hate to report that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year. He may have forecasted an extra six weeks of winter, but I am personally ready for spring. Unfortunately for me,I live in New York, where I’m feeling every moment of the prolonged chill and horrendous winter. Safe to say right now I’m in search of a mood boost. It might not be warm outside right now, but springtime simmer pots are designed to evoke at least the fragrance of the season, if not the higher temperatures.

Traditional, retro simmer pots do indeed sit and simmer on the stove, but for something truly retro, I also learned that you could use a slow cooker instead. Normally, I’m a big fan of candles, but I wanted something I could leave unattended while I was elsewhere in the house.  So I took the “happy” recipe from Chelsey Foy’s book, The Happy Home: The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Home that Brings You Joy, and added all the ingredients to my six-quart Crock-Pot. 

It took just four ingredients and some water to cheer up my home and make spring feel instantly closer. 

• Handful of fresh mint
• 1-inch sliced ginger root 
• 3 sliced limes
• 5 sprigs of thyme

1. Fill the slow cooker to about 1/3 of the way with water. (You can do the same with a pot on the stove.)
2. Add in ingredients.
3. Turn the pot on high for 4 hours. (If it’s on the stove, just bring it to a simmer.)
4. Leave the lid on for about 20 minutes to contain some of the heat, then remove the lid for the rest of the time.

You can certainly add more or less of each ingredient, but I would err on the side of more for a stronger fragrance. It’s also about how you prep the citrus and the ginger — don’t just halve the limes or chop the ginger and dump them in, but rather slice them to expose more surface area that will then infuse the water. I also peeled my ginger root, but as long as you slice yours, you’ll be fine.

I was upstairs working while I kept the simmering slow cooker on my counter. After about an hour, I got a whiff of a fresh aroma traveling up the stairs, so I went to investigate. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the entire first floor smelled of the lovely citrusy concoction. So lovely, in fact, that I bumped up the timer a bit longer on my Crock-Pot.

The fragrance lingered quite well for as long as the Crock-Pot was on. I felt comfortable knowing that even with the lid off, my unattended Crock-Pot was much safer than leaving a lit candle. The fragrance faded rather quickly after the timer eventually went off, but I expected as much. I let the pot cool off, then scooped the soggy yet still sweet-smelling contents straight into my compost bin, which, as a bonus, masked the odor of the coffee grounds I’d tossed in earlier that day.

The simmer pot lifted my mood, and I’ll be experimenting with another citrus-based one again soon. I enjoyed setting it up so much that I would even consider purchasing a smaller slow cooker — like this two-quart one — so my future simmer pots take up less counter space. Until the warm weather officially arrives (and even then!) you can find me conjuring some springtime vibes in my kitchen.