Saturday, November 28, 2009

Pomanders

Today we got around to making pomanders. The fruit was purchased a few days ago, but there was finally an hour or so that we could sit and let the fragrances of the citrus and spices waft about. We usually see this done with oranges, but for years we have preferred using lemons and limes. They don't spoil nearly as often, and oranges are just too good for eating!Begin with nice, blemish-free fruits. If you'd like to hang it from a ribbon, tape or band off sections where the ribbon will go, so you don't put cloves there. The lemon shown being worked on will shrink quite a bit, but there will be a clear line where the rubber bands have been.Use something sharp to make a hole, rather than trying to jam the cloves in. That just makes your fingers hurt. We used wooden skewers here, but have used nails, etc. in the past.We enjoy making different patterns and designs. They won't be terribly clear when the pomander is cured, but they do look pretty cool. When the kids were little, we set them to work on the tiny kumquats, and they loved it... of course those are too small for any sort of pattern.When the fruit is covered with all the cloves you want to insert, make up a rolling blend. We used equal parts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, with a smidge of orris root.Cover the pomanders and then roll them over and pour the spices over every side and surface.

Each day for the next couple of weeks you'll want to roll them around gently in the spices, and spoon it from the plate onto the top of them. They will gradually dessicate, become incredibly lightweight. You can enclose them in fine mesh if you want, or just tie a ribbon around them to hang in the closet.

A really fun and fragrant craft for the holidays!

12 comments:

Bridgett said...

Oh, this is awesome!
Thank you so much for this information. :)

Unknown said...

So easy - thanks for the post.

Rosemary said...

Great tutorial! The citrus fragrance combined with the spices is practically leaping off the computer screen this morning. Have you ever tried kumquats? They are so small, they're cute!

Tina Sams said...

Molly LOVED doing kumquats, and the look pretty cool on top of a rosehip/cinnamon stick type potpourri, scattered with tiny cut-outs of spice clay :-)
We once had the brilliant (not) idea of doing a class for kids so their moms had time to shop (they left the kids and went to the mall). This was one of the crafts we did.

Athena's Armoury said...

These are beautifully mouthwatering! I'm making them right now, actually. I noticed that mine are really juicy, but yours look totally dry in the picture before adding the rolling blend. I'm wondering if I'm puncturing too deep and if it matters. I was also wondering about how long they will last? Thanks for the tutorial!

Tina Sams said...

Ours had juice running too. I don't think you can pierce them too deeply. The cloves are dessicants - in fact in ancient times they were used in embalming for that purpose. So no worries there, lol.
They will last for years and years. I have a kumquat pomander that is at least 15 years old, and a lime that is probably 8.

Athena's Armoury said...

Oh, wow, I didn't realize that they would last for so long. Cool. I only had enough cloves to make two lemons and my nails look like I've been working in the garden all day! But my hands smell amazing!!

TeresaM said...

WOW!!! I didn't realize these were so simple to make either! I really need to make some! Thank you for sharing!!!

Anonymous said...

Cloves of what ? Please explain

Tina Sams said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove
The cloves are in the pictures.

Anonymous said...

Wow this is interesting. I always wondered how to make them. I've heard it makes your Home smell good . I'm about to make some. I just picked some lemons 🍋 from my tree . Thank you !! I just don't have the last ingredient is it OK

Tina Sams said...

It will be fine to leave out the orris.
That helps retain scent, but is completely optional.