Pomanders

One of the great joys of this season for me is pomanders.    I love them.   I love them with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns.   Suns which I am desperate to see during this, the darkest part of the year.  

Pomanders smell great, they're easy to make and they last as long as they stay dry.


What you need: 

• fruit:  oranges, clementines, kumquats, apples, lemons, etc.
• whole cloves
• pointed toothpicks, skewers, etc. to poke the holes in the fruit
• powdered spices:  cloves, allspice, cinnamon, orris root

Use the skewer to poke holes in the fruit.  Leave a bit of space between the holes.   [As the fruit dries, it will shrink and the holes will get closer together.]  The fruit will ooze and get you all sticky.    That's part of the fun.  You'll smell great for days.

Put a clove in each hole.  

Smell the divine aroma!

When you've covered the fruit with cloves, sprinkle them all over with powdered spices.   I use equal amounts of ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon and orris root.   Use what you have.  Don't worry if you don't have orris root. 

Cover the pomanders completely with the spices.   They'll help dry the whole thing out.

Over the next few weeks, the pomanders will dry out and become hard.

Put them in an attractive bowl or arrangement and remember to turn them over every day or so to help them dry evenly.   

These stay good through the winter here in the Midwest.    I toss them out when I do my spring cleaning in March, which is when things start getting wet and humid around here again.