Homemade Dried Orange Garland

I made dried orange ornaments last year when I first heard about dried oranges. They definitely turned out cute, but not as cute as this year’s. This year, I was able to really nail down the perfect timing and methods for each step to a perfect garland and I am so excited to share it with you all! Before you begin this process, know that it is very lengthy and you should plan a whole afternoon to dry your oranges properly. The process is a little tricky if you have never done it before, but I hope to lead you through it in a way where you don’t burn too many to end up with an extremely sticky mess.

The garland I made was about twelve feet long with each orange slice spaced about 4-5 inches from the other. The twelve foot garland is long enough to zig-zag across your tree four times. If you need to decorate the backside of your tree I would recommend doubling this length and the amount of oranges used! Please note: about two baking sheets fit in an oven and about four sliced orange will fit on them. You will need to repeat this process either immediately after the first two sheets finish baking, or find another day to dry the other four oranges.

“Excuse my messy hair, we were having a chill day at home!”

MATERIALS:

1. 8 large oranges
2. 2 cutting boards
3. 1 roll of paper towls
4. Parchment paper
5. Baking sheets
6. 13 Ft of twine
7. A sharp chef’s knife
8. 1 pair of tongs

INSTRUCTIONS:

In this photo, you can see lemon slices as well. I had half a lemon leftover from a meal that was going to go bad, so I threw it on the tray to dry for fun!

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and then on one cutting board, begin slicing your oranges. When slicing, make sure that you’re cutting them about 1/4 inches thick that way they don’t burn during baking but are still thin enough to dry correctly.
2. On your second cutting board, lay out paper towels, then lay your orange slices on them and use another towel to blot the oranges to rid them of excess juice. This will help speed up the drying time.
3. Over on your baking sheets, lay out parchment paper, then place your blotted orange slices on the sheets. The parchment paper is VERY important so your oranges don’t stick to the pan. They’re sticky from their natural juices so it could happen very easily.
4. When your oven has reached its set temperature, slide your trays into the oven and set a timer for 1 hour. When your time goes off, remove both trays from the oven, grab your tongs, and flip the oranges over. With a new paper towel, blot the oranges to rid of more juices, then place the trays back in the oven. Repeat this process two more times. After flipping for the third time, place the oranges in the oven for only 30 more minutes, then remove from the oven and place on paper towels or a drying rack to cool.
5. Once your oranges are cooled, grab your twine and string your oranges spreading them about 4-5 inches apart. I use a pair of scissors to poke two holes through the orange slices, but you can use other things like knitting needles or chopsticks, etc.
6. Once all your oranges are strung, tie two big loops at each end of the twine as a way to attach the garland to your Christmas tree or wherever else you plan to hang it.

Thanks so much for reading through this tutorial! Having oranges in your home during the holidays is so fun and beautiful. I think it really makes things feel festive! It can be a bit tricky when you first try to dry them at home so I hope this helped make things a little easier!

x Abigail