{Images credited to (clockwise): Google Images, the Lady blog,  Porter House Designs, and Right at Home}

Growing up, my grandmother always had these in her house around the holidays, so the smell of clove studded orange pommanders really brings back fond holiday memories for me.   While making these may seem old-fashioned, it’s easy to do, and their scent can fill a room.

What you’ll need:

Clean and unblemished oranges:

Whole cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and groung cloves:

You’ll also need a pen or marker, and something to poke holes in the rinds (like a small nail, strong toothpick, ice-pick, or wine bottle opener).

Directions:

After cleaning and drying off your oranges, find a comfortable place to work…

and try to avoid the pleading eyes of the dog who loooooves fruit.

You can use your marker to draw out a pattern on your orange (simple patterns and stripes may not need this step).  If you’d like to hang these with some ribbons, you can also use masking tape to tape off the area where the ribbons will go.

Next, use your instrument of choice to poke holes in the orange rind (not too deep, but deep enough to fully pierce the rind).  After that, you’ll push the whole cloves into these holes (still trying to avoid the eyes of the hungry and persistant dog).

After you’ve covered your orange with the cloves (the more cloves, the better the smell and the better they will dry), you will combine the remaining spices in a bowl to sprinkle your oranges with.  I generally use more cinnamon than the rest.

If you’d like to really preserve your oranges for more than the season, you can also add a little Orris Root to this mixture.  Some people have sensitivity to Orris Root, though, and it can be hard to find.

Make sure to cover the entire orange, especially around the cloves.

Once you’ve covered all your oranges with the spice mixture,  place them in a paper bag and close the top.  Store them in a cool, dark, and (very importantly) dry place for about 2 to4 weeks until the fruit has dried out.  You can periodically check on them – you can tell when they’re completely dry because they’ll have shrunk and sound a little hollow.

Once they are dry, you’re ready to bring them out and enjoy!  Place them in a bowl, or hang them with some ribbon, and enjoy their frangrance through the holidays and into the new year!

{Images courtesy of Author’s Personal Collection}