Try This: Dried Citrus Ornaments

Citrus season is upon us! You know what that means, don't you? Elsie will be whipping up some tasty cocktails featuring the tart fruit, and I'll be over here butchering oranges and lemons for holiday home decor. That's right, I'm getting au naturel and turning food into Christmas ornaments. They smell great when you make them, and you can eat the leftovers. Sounds like my kind of craft!

Step One: Slice the fruit into 1/4" slices and carefully remove the seeds. Use a wide blade knife to ensure uniform thickness of individual slices.

Step Two: Arrange the fruit slices onto a baking sheet and place in a warm oven set to about 150-170°F. Bake for 3-4 hours, flipping every hour until the fruit is dried, though not completely shriveled up. You want the slices to retain their color and not look brown around the edges.

I also tried a technique of air drying the citrus slices and was surprised at how quickly they dried out. It took about 4 days for them to get to a nice stiffness, though the orange slices curled up rather than staying flat as they did after baking them. (The lemon and lime slices didn't curl.)

I love how the slices are a bit like little pieces of stained glass. The light shines through them creating a pretty orange glow. These citrus ornaments work great with a vase of evergreens, hung on a Christmas tree, or even strung up for a beautiful garland in front of a window. -Mandi

Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with Stella from the Signature Collection.