Pomanders are wonderfully fragrant, natural room and closet fresheners. They make great gifts or festive tree and package decorations.

The basic premise is simple: stud whole cloves into pieces of fruit. Generally speaking, the more your fruit is covered in cloves, the longer it will last. Simple clove studded fruit (like in the photos) should last a few frangrant weeks. You'll find directions below for making pomanders that last months, even years!

You Will Need
an assortment fruit: oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines,kumquats; you can also make pomanders using apples or crab apples, but I find they don't last as long as citrus fruit

Optional Ingredients for Longer Lasting Pomanders
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1/4 cup ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons ground all spice
1/4 cup powdered orrisroot (this ingredient is optional but will help the pomanders last extra long -- find it in well stocked drug stores and herb shops, or click here to order online from our friends at Glenbrook Farms)

Instructions

Take the wooden skewer or thin knitting needle and poke holes in the fruit where you want the cloves to go. You can make patterns (like the swirled orange at right) or just randomly stud the fruit with holes. Insert a whole clove into each hole.

Use sewing pins to attach ribbon to the pomander (just press a pin through the ribbon into the fruit at top and bottom of pomander). Tie a decorative bow at top.

Make miniature pomanders from kumquats or crab apples. These make wonderful natrual tree ornaments. Metallic pipe cleaners or small artificial holly berries make easy, decorative hangers for these.

Longer Lasting Pomanders
To make your pomanders last longer, cover your citrus fruit in whole cloves, then place in a large bowl and cover with the optional cinnamon/spice mixture. Allow pomanders to "cure" for several weeks before attaching ribbon hangers. These "cured" pomanders will last for months, even years. They make delightful gifts are especially nice for bringing fresh scent to closets.