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Like no other season, Christmas is disposed to olfactory-triggered nostalgia. In particular, the aroma of coriander, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cinnamon, can open the floodgates to the memories of Christmases past.

Decorations like pomanders add beauty to your home during the festive season. Making them is a fun project for the whole family: children get enthusiastically involved in the hands-on creative activity.

Make a Holiday Pomander To make a holiday pomander you will need the following:

Four to six firm, thin-skinned oranges (lemons, limes and/or apples will also work)
1/2 cup (125 ml) of ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (60 ml) of ground cloves
Approximately 100 grams of whole cloves
1 Tbsp (15 ml) of ground allspice
1 Tbsp (15 ml) of ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp (15 ml) of orrisroot

The oranges should be completely covered with the cloves if you're planning to place the pomanders in a bowl. If you want to hang them from the Christmas tree, mantlepiece or wherever, leave a half-inch vertical groove around the fruit to accommodate the ribbon. The cloves can be directly inserted into the oranges, or to help prevent bruising of the fruit, use a sharp instrument such as a skewer to first pierce the skin.

The cloves should be close, but not crowded or touching. The fruit will shrink to about 75 percent of its original size during the curing process. Also, the skin may split if the cloves are too close. Don't leave a half-studded orange to finish the next day as rot may start to set in.
Mix the curing spices, the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and orrisroot in a small bowl. Orrisroot is the ground dried root of the orris iris. It's commonly used to "fix" or set the fragrance of the other ingredients in pot-pourris and perfumery and has a barely perceptible fragrance of violets. It's readily available in any craft store or floral supply store. You may also find it in the health food store.

Place half the mixture in a large bowl and lay the studded pomanders on top. Pour the rest of the spice mix over the pomanders so they are completely covered. Add more spice mixture if necessary. Place the pomanders in a dry, dark closet or cupboard and daily turn them in the spice mixture. Depending upon the fruit and it's size, the curing process will take three to four weeks. When the pomanders are firm, they are cured. If the pomanders haven't fully cured by the time you wish to use them, they can be removed from the curing mix. Place them in another bowl, away from the curing mix for a day, and then use them. This removal will not have a negative effect on the curing process.

The pomanders are not only fragrant, spirit-lifting and beautiful, they will repel moths if hung in your closet or placed in drawers. They will last forever. When their scent wanes, just add a little essential oil of your choice.

Fun And Fragrant Garlands

Another simple holiday decoration that's fragrant and fun are garlands. Take a piece of kitchen twine and suspend bunches of fresh dried herbs and slices of dried fruit such as apples, oranges and lemons. Dried fruit slices can be purchased from your local craft store, but if you prefer to do it yourself, use a dehydrator or slice the fruit thinly and then place them on a rack in a 95°C (200°F) oven for about six hours.

Bruce Burnett operates a herb farm on Pender Island, BC.

Source: alive #218, December 2000