Clove Studded Orange Pomanders

Clove studded oranges smell of Christmas to me. Just having a bowl of them on the coffee table can scent the entire room. Try hanging a few on the tree for a beautiful and fragrant ornament. Pomanders themselves are no new comers, they date back to the 13th century and have a long and colorful history. They began as religious keepsakes, became a nicety to cover the, shall we say “heavy”, scent that was ever present in medieval times, and were even used to ward off witchcraft when tied with a golden bow! I became enamored by them when we lived in Williamsburg, VA and the colonial homes would nestle them into wreathes and bowls everywhere. My mom and I would spend quality time making them at the kitchen table during the holidays, surrounded by the sweet smell of oranges and the spicy overtones of cloves - the smell still brings back fond memories. Try making a few, I’m sure you’ve already have all the supplies in your kitchen. Place one or two of them here and there around the house and you’ll be enamored as well!

MATERIALS

• Citrus (oranges, lemons, lines, grapefruit all work!)

• Whole cloves

• Toothpick or nail

• Channel knife (optional)

• Ribbon (optional)

STEPS

• Decide on your pattern - this is probably the hardest part! A grid, all over, swirls, circles - it’s all fair game.

• If you’re going to create groves using a channel knife, I like to do this first. I mark where the groves are going to go with a pen since the grooves are wide enough to remove any markings. Don’t press too hard, as you only want to remove the outer rind and leave the pith…otherwise they get too juicy.

• Now, take your toothpick or nail and mark where you want your cloves. There’s no right or wrong. Place them super close together for a nice compact look, or spread them out to every 1/4” for a more open pattern. I tend to do one line or one area of punctures at a time so I don’t get ahead of myself.

• Take your cloves and one by one push the sharp end into the punched hole in the orange.

• Ummm…..that’s it. Pretty simple. Add some ribbon, add a bow, hang from a tree, put in a bowl….no matter what you do, the smell will be other worldly.

(Oh! I almost forgot - the other big perk - these dry up and last forever! Wrap them in paper, store them away, and bring them out again next year. Who doesn’t love that!!!)