Almost sixty years ago, when I was a Girl Scout, I made a pomander by sticking whole cloves in an apple. It took forever and made my fingers sore, as I covered the entire surface so that not a speck of red could be seen. And the pomander -- a Christmas gift for my mother -- hung in her closet for years -- the apple shrinking and drying and the cloves smelling wonderful.
About twenty years ago, I thought it might be nice to repeat the endeavor, possibly using oranges or tangerines as I'd seen done in a magazine somewhere -- some nice patterns and you don't have to cover the entire surface.
So I ordered a pound of whole cloves. And that's as far as I got. The cloves have been sitting in a jar on a shelf all that time. (They keep very well.)
But while finding things to occupy my time while waiting to hear from Herself -- ironing, rearranging the living room to get ready for the Christmas tree, cleaning out the refrigerator -- I was about to throw out (well, give to the chickens) some clementines that weren't very good -- not rotten, just a bit dry -- and suddenly I thought of those cloves.
Things to do while waiting. . .
21 comments:
I can just smell those from here. What a great and fun idea. Thanks!
They look so good ..I loved the memory of you making one for your mother.
Thinking of you as you wait.
Oooooh we used to make them with the oranges but do cover almost the whole fruit leaving a cross shape over which we tie a ribbon that is used for hanging,. The cupboards smell amazing and you can smell the citrus as well as the cloves need to be replaced every couple of years.
The Clementines look lovely
Think I might go and grab a few oranges of the tree!!
This is an old custom in Germany, I have been doing it for many years too, always with oranges.
I also burn christmassy scents, tiny cone shaped things like incense, but pine and orange and frankincense and myrrh aroma.
I love the smell, it pervades the whole house as a faint background scent, adding to the special-ness of the season.
Those look so pretty ... thanks for the idea Vicki.
nice i bet they smell wonderful...
Oh, fine. Now I want to make an orange pomander.
You do know you're aiding and abetting procrastination, right?
:)
Kath
kath-lettersfromearth.blogspot.com
I can smell those heavenly cloves from here. Mmm. Beautiful.
You bring back memories Vicki
I made one of those too...
Waiting...a horrible curse of time
I tend to eat while waiting..not the good kind..mindless kind
good for you for being creative
Mmmmm... I can smell them!! Wow, reading and seeing those photos just transported me back into grade school, poking those cloves into an orange. That must have been a rite of Christmas passage for schoolchildren in those days!
(P.S. Leaving for a few days, got my posts "scheduled" as I've seen you do.. hope it works! :)
Oh, I remember making those. In fact, even though I'm not waiting for anything I just might get some stuff together and make one this year.
Think I'm gonna make a couple more of those myself. I have one that's a couple years old and still smells great. After Christmas I put it in a small jar and put the lid on to store it.
I'll bet it's smelling like heaven at your house!!
waiting is just about the hardest thing, ever!
I did some pomanders some years ago with oranges completely covered with cloves. They perfumed the cupboards very well.
It is a bit long to pick the cloves but with a ribbon it is a very nice handmade gift or you can hang the pomander in the Christmas tree.
(the cloves are relatively expensive here in France.
I wish you a nice weekend Vicky
Lovely, your pomander balls resting in that beautiful bowl!
Pricking the skin of the fruit with a nail first makes for a less finger pricking experience when pushing in the cloves.
A fragrantly productive use of your spare time, Vicki. They look so good, too.
and I bet they will smell wonderful all Christmas! I love the cinnamon brooms you have over there in U.S. at Christmas. I don't think I've seen anything like it over here. The smell of cinnamon is very 'Tennessee' to me and makes me feel very nostalgic.
Blessings, Star
Yes, the smell is wonderful -- and it lingered on my fingers for quite a while too.
I'll have to try Julienne's method -- I still have a few cloves left.
The skin of the clementines is easy to pierce with the cloves -- oranges or apples or lemons would be more difficult.
Wonderful how many of you have made or are thinking about making some of these.
I've lined mine up on the mantel over the fireplace, hoping they'll dry out rather than rot. We shall see.
Still waiting...
Here's wishing you speedy results! It's always challenging to knuckle under someone else's schedule when you're ready to get on with it! Don't bite your nails down too far!
Elora
Dear Vicki: Excellent idea! I think I will get my son to make these as a Christmas present idea! How lovely! Here's an idea that may help; if you poke the holes with a sharp object first this ! I can smell the cloves now!
Neat! Something I've always wanted to try but never have.
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