Make a Pomander of Oranges, Cloves, and Spices

The scent of citrus mingled with cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg brings up thoughts of Christmas Past...long past. I have been making these fragrant pomanders since the days when my children were little. I also loved working on these fragrant clove balls with my grandchildren when they were smaller and needed fun ideas to keep them busy.

You will need to assemble the ingredients before you get started.

Fragrant Orange Clove Pomanders

• A medium-sized thin-skinned orange (As many as you plan to make)
• 1/2 cup whole cloves
• 1/2 cup orris root powder
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon powder
• 1 tablespoon ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• fork to pierce skin of orange
• Ribbon
• Rack for drying

Creating these pomanders is a very simple process. The most important part of the process is deciding on the design of the cloves on the oranges. You will need some nice festive ribbons as well. Mix the spices before you get started. You can make many designs with the cloves lined from top to bottom. You can criss cross the pattern, or cover the entire orange with cloves before dusting with the spice mixture.

If you want to keep these pomanders for use in closets and drawers it will be important to let them dry up. This usually takes two to three weeks. They will need to be placed in a box with holes in the bottom to allow air to get to the oranges and speed up the drying process. You will need to roll them in the spices occasionally. This drying process is very important because if the air cannot get to the oranges they might just get moldy and at this point you will have to discard them and start over. Once they are dry these pomanders will last for many years. You will be able to freshen them with spices or essential oils and they will be good as new.

If you want to use the pomanders immediately you can do that, too! Create fun designs on the oranges and skip the spices. Tie ribbons on the oranges and hang. A display of several clove studded oranges with different lengths of ribbon makes a nice hanging. You can also add greenery and pile into a bowl for a fragrant centerpiece.

Use your imagination and come up with creative ways to display your creation. These pomanders make excellent gifts, too!