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Writer's pictureAshley Qurollo
19 hours ago3 min read

Oranges and Rosemary

December 2, 2024

rosemary-orange-slices-string-drying-scissors

To all my American readers, I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by people dear to you!


In today’s post I will share how I’m bringing some festive touches to my home for the Christmas season. I almost started decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving but was quickly schooled by my oldest about how “We should not skip over Thanksgiving because it’s important to show that we are grateful.” Win win for homeschooling taking affect; lose lose for Mom getting Christmas décor up early.


This year I had been mentally planning the vibe I wanted to achieve this Christmas: a simple and classy aesthetic with natural elements to keep the look from getting too stuffy. I’ve wanted to try drying oranges for several years now, and I’m hoping the oranges will add that special natural touch that hearkens to historic Christmas decorating.


orange-rosemary-garland-kitchen-sink-farmhouse

Drying citrus fruit seems to be quite the décor trend these days, yet this is actually a classic Christmas tradition. In days of old, people didn’t have glittery ornaments to deck their homes, but rather they looked to nature for cheery elements.


Furthering the natural theme, I will be using lots of rosemary from our front garden. Our prolific rosemary bush offers me fragrant branches to tuck around our home this season, and it makes a perfect addition to the simple garland I constructed above our sink (not to mention the amazing aroma it adds to our kitchen!).


orange-slices-bake-cookie-sheets

I looked up several “recipes” for drying oranges, and really, it’s quite simple. If you have a dehydrator, that’s the simplest and probably best method. You could let the fruit air dry, but that would take several weeks. If you are like me, I’d be fighting children and insects to stay out of the oranges. So I chose the oven method.


Here’s how I dried the oranges:


1.       Slice up the oranges into ¼ inch slices.

2.       Lay them on parchment lined cookie sheets.

3.       Bake them in an oven set to 170 Fahrenheit for at least 6 hours. Honestly, I left mine in for about 7 hours.

4.       About every hour, turn the orange slices for maximum air flow.


That was pretty much it! My orange slices were not perfectly dry, but I figured they will finish drying the rest of the way in their respective locations around my home.


Here’s how I’m using the orange slices:


1.       Simple Garland


I made a simple garland with rosemary and orange slices to go above my kitchen sink. To do this, I bundled about 3 stems of rosemary together and tied a string around the bundle. I made a bunch of these bundles, probably about 20.


rosemary-string-bundles

Using a large needle and a 6-foot piece of thick string, I threaded through an orange slice and then looped back through to keep the slice from sliding around. Then I tied on a bundle of rosemary to the thick string. I kept alternating orange slices and rosemary bundles until I achieved the desired length. I love how it turned out!


woman-making-orange-rosemary-garland

orange-rosemary-garland

2.       Ornaments


For Christmas ornaments, I simply used my large needle again to pull some string through an orange slice and then tied a knot for easy hanging. I thought about stringing them all on a string, but by creating individual ornaments out of each slice, this will allow me to position the slices exactly where I want them.


*I discovered a quicker method later on: Cut about a 4 inch length of green floral wire. Push through the orange. Bend the wire and twist the top together to form an ornament "hanger."


garland-beads-orange-slice

I love the look that oranges and rosemary create in my home this Christmas!


 

If you celebrate Christmas, how are you decorating your tree? Happy decorating!


-Ashley



Personal Disclosure


As the author of Ashley Qurollo Blog, all opinions are my own. Any possible applications are universal in nature, not directed at any one individual or people group. My sincere desire is to help others by sharing what I am learning. Nothing stated on this blog is ever intended to hurt others. Ashley Qurollo, owner of Ashley Qurollo Blog and Website, is not held liable in any way for any application of the ideas and thoughts stated here.


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18 hours ago
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I love this idea!

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