This Whole Foods Recipe for a Spring Simmer Pot Has Shoppers Swapping Their Candles for DIY Scents

Whether you're tired of spending money on candles or trying to find some use for your overripe lemons or orange peels, making your own potpourri might be the way to go. And as this new springtime recipe from Whole Foods makes clear, there's no need to haul out the dehydrator for this project. All you'll need is a big pot, some boiling water and whatever aromatic scraps you want to use.

Simmer pots aren't a new invention, but they're definitely one of our new obsessions—our former digital editor Jaime Milan spent the holiday season with this festive Williams-Sonoma recipe simmering away on her stove. ​​This Whole Foods version is inspired by "fields of flowers," according to the brand's post. To mimic it in your own home, you'll need some lemon, lavender, rosemary, rose petals and lavender essential oil.

Shoppers chimed in with their excitement in the comments. "Yes," one person wrote. "I stopped burning candles due to a respiratory concern and this looks like a good alternative." Others were putting this idea on their spring cleaning to-do list.

While this post suggests slicing a fresh lemon for your pot, you could always toss in the remains of a lemon you've juiced or zested earlier in the week. Other fragrant fruit scraps, like orange peels or apple cores would make great additions to this pot, too. (Don't stress if you don't have fragrant rose petals or lavender lying around—just use what you have on hand!)

As Jessica Ball, our associate digital nutrition editor, shared in her column back in November, making a simmer pot with seasonal ingredients that you already have around, like the lemons in this recipe, is a great way to wring all the uses out of your groceries and save a little cash on seasonal candles. While we're not sure we'd recommend all spring produce for a simmer pot—no thanks on the broccoli stems—lime peels, kiwi peels and strawberry tops might be next on our list.

If you need some inspiration on ways to use up that lemon juice or zest before you toss it into your stovetop potpourri, try one of these delicious lemon salad dressings or a main dish, like our Lemon Chicken Piccata to bring a little spring flavor into your kitchen.