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Make your own Orange Pomander Balls

Orange Pomander Balls

The Orange and Clove Snowballs I made recently were cookies that featured the flavors of both orange and clove, chosen because I often made orange pomander balls around the holidays as a child (and still do!) and I really associate the season with the warm, spicy scent combination. As good as the cookies are, I still couldn’t resist making some real pomanders to set around the house and spread their Christmasy aroma.

Pomanders are very easy to make. All you need are some fresh, ripe oranges and a jar of whole cloves. Simply insert the pointy ends of the cloves into the rind of the orange in any pattern that pleases you. If you have a knitting needle, you can stick a piece of ribbon just underneath the skin, then tie a loop so you can hang the pomander, on a tree or elsewhere. This is a great project to do with kids. It’s fun, smells great and there is no cleanup because the clove-studded oranges can sit out just about indefinitely because they dry-cure with the cloves in them.

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11 Comments
  • Martha in KS
    December 15, 2009

    We made these when I was a child many years ago. After completely covering the orange with cloves, we rolled them in ground cinnamon & wrapped them in paper towels for a couple of weeks while they absorbed the spices. One word of caution – your thumb is going to get sore. Slip on a thimble & the problem is solved!

  • sprite
    December 15, 2009

    I’m confused about the knitting needle part. How do you use it to insert a ribbon?

  • Casey
    December 15, 2009

    Just made these the other night!…I like to put mine on a pretty plate located on or near the heater. They may not last as long, but it certainly helps make the whole house smell festive.

  • Nicole
    December 15, 2009

    Sprite – Sorry I wasn’t clear about that! I usually just set mine in a dish or on a tree branch.
    Use the pointy end of a knitting needle to push a ribbon through the orange. You want the entry and exit points to be about 1/2 or 3/4-inch apart, so almost like you’re creating a stitch just under the skin of the orange. It should be strong enough to hold the orange up when you tie the ends of the ribbon together. The needle is just a very handy way to get the ribbon through!

  • Jaro
    December 16, 2009

    At first I thought that were LED’s in the orange 🙂
    But they are cloves. Ehm.. Do you know where I can get the cloves? In the Supermarket or in a market garden?
    Is it possible to replace the cloves with bourbon vanilla?
    Or is there a vanilla scent?!

  • Stacey
    December 16, 2009

    I love making these! When I was growing up my brother and I would help my gma and gpa decorate their tree every year. We’d listen to Christmas Music, make dinner, and do a craft. Usually the craft was orange and clove pomander balls. I still enjoy making them today and will continue the tradition with my kids when that day comes. They not only smell heavenly, but they always make me think of my grandma and grandpa.

  • Ashley
    January 2, 2010

    Wow I’ve never heard of or seen orange pomander balls!! I love the idea and how they look though. Maybe our cat would even leave them alone because she doesn’t like the smell of orange.

  • Smart LIpo
    April 12, 2010

    Just made these the other night!…I like to put mine on a pretty plate located on or near the heater.your thumb is going to get sore. Slip on a thimble & the problem is solved!

  • mindy
    May 12, 2010

    That looks really nice.

  • […] original here:  Make your own Orange Pomander Balls | Baking Bites By admin | category: orange | tags: allow-college, annual-fee, clove-snowballs, holidays, […]

  • Scents in Season | 704 du Jour
    November 28, 2011

    […] Being at home has made me so thankful for the wonderful traditions my family follows. What better way to celebrate togetherness than to partake in a tradition that has been done for years? One of the many traditions my family (aka- the fabulous women of my family) that has done for as long as they can remember (I’m talking Great-Grandma’s Grandma, etc.) is make Orange Pomander Balls, now, better known as Clove studded oranges. Yep, we poke holes in fruit and fill them with cloves. […]

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