Add some rustic charm to your Christmas decorations this year with a dried orange garland.

What you need:

For the garland:
Oranges* (or grapefruit, lemon, kiwi etc)
Twine or string

Utensils:
Sharp knife
Paper towel
Baking paper
Baking trays
Cooling racks
Needle with a large eye (yarn needles are great)
Scissors

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 120 degrees Celsius. Slice oranges into rounds that are roughly half a centimetre thick.
  • Pat each slice dry with paper towel and arrange on a lined baking tray.
  • Bake your slices for three hours, flipping each hour to make sure they bake evenly. Once the edges are slightly browned, remove from oven and place on cooling racks. Set aside and allow the slices to dry completely for 2–3 days.
  • Once your orange slices are dry, thread your needle with twine and begin stringing the slices on. Make sure you make a complete stitch through the orange slices: take the needle in one side of the flesh and out the opposite side. (We recommend horizontal stitches – in on the left and out on the right side of the flesh.) This ensures that the slices hang neatly on the twine/string.
  • When you’ve got the length of garland you need, snip the twine/string and tie a knot in each end to prevent slices from slipping off. Leave enough string on either end to tie to your banister, around your Christmas tree or to affix to other garlands (for example pine or spruce).
  • Repeat the above to make as many garlands as you’d like!