Clove Studded Oranges...a Memory of Time With My Mom

When I was little I remember making these while we listened to the radio in the evening. It is a first memory of a craft that I did with my Mom. This blog has really opened my mind and has brought back nostalgic memories that have been hidden. Back to the post...I loved them back then and I love them now. They have a wonderfully sweet holiday smell. And, best of all, they're easy to make, which make them perfect for both kids and adults! I remember one year...giving them to everyone on my short list. Grandma said she would put it in her hankie drawer. Does anyone have a hankie drawer today? I remember sore fingers and orange juice dripping on the towel on my lap. We would do a few rows each evening and put them in a saucer next to the chair...pick it up whenever we had a few minutes to work on them. They are really simple to make, you just pierce the oranges with cloves, then tie a ribbon around them to hang them. I use a kitchen skewer to poke holes in the orange now, before putting the clove in. In those days, I can remember sharing a pick, that you use to pick out nutmeats.. from the shell, to punch a hole in them. We only had one pick and we passed it back and forth, when our fingers got sore. It seems that they lasted forever. I just remember putting them away with the ornaments and finding them all dried and shriveled when the ornaments were taken out the next Christmas. Now the directions call for rolling them in orris root and spices which will preserve them better. You can use different fruits like lemons and limes and try different designs with the cloves. The fun part, starts when they are ready to decorate with ribbons, arrange in a bowl with greens and red bows, put them in a clear glass jar or use to decorate the mantle. This is a fun thing to do with the kids. Something they will not forget.

Balisha