Orange Clove Pomanders Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the spice mix ingredients.
• Wash oranges.
• Insert cloves into oranges in a decorative pattern (stripes, swirls, whatever strikes your fancy!).
• Roll cloved oranges in the spice mixture within 24 hours and set in a warm place to dry, turning fruit daily.
• Drying takes from two weeks to possibly a month.
• Pomanders are completely dry when they are hard.
• Remove pomanders from the spice mix, dust off a little, and tie with decorative ribbons. Set out in a bowl, or you can use as Christmas ornaments.

Steps:

• Although many 'recipes' for pomanders suggest rolling them in powdered orris root and ground spices after they are finished, this is unnecessary. They will remain fragrant for years without this unsightly coating. They not only look better, but they are not irritating to the many people who are allergic to orris.
• Begin with firm fruit of any size (personally I've used oranges, lemons & limes}. Push the stems of whole cloves into the surface of the fruit so their edges just barely touch. {I find it helpful to just break the surface with a small knitting needle first}. The fruit will shrink as it dries, so there has to be some space between the cloves. Leave the indentations around the stem and blossom, since they will recede into the fruit as the pomander dries. Place the pomander in a dry place with good air circulation [away from direct sun]. Each day, roll it very gently in your palms to push the cloves into the drying fruit. When the fruit is partly dry, push a bent wire or hairpin [I find that florist pins work especially well] into the stem end to form a hanging loop. When the pomander is thoroughly dry, tie a bow to the loop.
• My pomanders from this recipe are now 3 years old.
• Note: My count of 3 oranges, 3 lemons and 3 limes is arbitrary. You could of course do all oranges, or any combination thereof. The amount for the cloves is also arbitrary because it depends entirely on how many pomanders you are making and how big the fruit are.