Citrus season is upon us! You know what that means, right? Elsie wants to whip one orange cranberry margarita with the sour fruit, and I come here and butcher oranges and lemons for cottage decoration. Haha!
That’s right, I get au naturel and make food for Christmas decorations. These dried citrus garnishes smell amazing when you make them, and you can eat the leftovers. Sounds like my kind of craft!
Supplies:
How to make dried citrus garnishes:
Step one: Cut your fruit into 1/4″ slice and carefully remove the seeds. Use a wide knife (this knife set is so cute!) to ensure uniform thickness of individual slices.
Step Two: Arrange the fruit slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in a hot oven set to about 150-170°F.
Bake for 3-4 hours, turning every hour, until the fruit is dried (but not completely shriveled). You want the slices to retain their color and not look brown around the edges.
Can you air dry the citrus slices?
I also tried an air drying technique for the citrus slices and was surprised at how quickly they dried out.
It took about four days for them to get a nice firmness, although the orange slices curled up instead of flattening out like they did after baking. The lemon and lime slices did not curl.
Step Three: Pierce the dried fruit slices with ornament hangers. That is it! Now you have beautiful ornaments for your tree. These would also make a great gift.
Check out Homemade gift ideas for everyone on your list for more ideas!
I love how the discs are kind of like little pieces of stained glass. The light shines through them and creates a beautiful orange glow.
These citrus garnishes work well with an amber vase of evergreens, hung on a Christmas tree or even strung up into a beautiful garland in front of a window. And I love how they look next to each other my DIY porcelain tree candles.
And if you’re pressed for time, you can too buy your orange slices already dried!
We have a ton of fun holiday decor and recipe inspiration in our Christmas archive, so find something fun (and delicious!) to make this holiday season! –Mandy
More DIY Christmas decorations:
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Get the guide
Make your own dried fruit jewelry with lemons, oranges or limes
Instructions
-
Cut your fruit into 1/4″ slice and carefully remove the seeds. Use a wide knife to ensure uniform thickness of the individual slices.
-
Arrange the fruit slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in a hot oven set to about 150-170°F.
-
Bake for 3-4 hours, turning every hour, until the fruit is dried (but not completely shriveled).You want the slices to retain their color and not look brown around the edges.
-
Pierce the dried fruit slices with ornament hangers. That is it! Now you have beautiful ornaments for your tree. These would also make a great gift.
Notes
It took about four days for them to get a nice firmness, although the orange slices curled up instead of flattening out like they did after baking. The lemon and lime slices did not curl.
