Make your own Christmassy citrus garland

Method

Step 1

Slice the orange

Start off by slicing the orange into pieces, around half a centimetre thick. Thin slices will dry quicker but don’t worry if they’re not all completely equal.

Step 2

Make a hole

After slicing the orange, make a hole in the top of each slice using your skewer or chopstick. A chopstick makes a bigger hole, which will make it easier when threading your garland.

Step 3

Time for the oven

Next, put your orange slices on a wire rack. They will dry quicker and more evenly using a wire rack but a baking tray can also be used, simply put the slices on baking parchment. Pop them in the oven at 65* for 4 hours.

Once the orange slices are no longer juicy, remove them from the oven and leave to cool. If they feel a bit tacky at first, don’t worry, leave them overnight to dry out completely.

Step 4

Get assembling

Now it’s time to construct your garland! Push the cloves in a decorative pattern of your choice around the edges of the slices. This is optional so feel free to use another decoration or not at all!

Feed your twine or ribbon through the hole you made in one of your orange slices and tie a knot at the end. Then thread the other slices and cinnamon sticks through leaving space between each one to change the length of the garland. Remember to tie a knot after the last slice.

And there you have it, a Christmassy looking (and smelling) decoration that you can enjoy every year!

If this has inspired you to make more of your own decorations, have a go at making these hanging hearts.