Fall Citrus Garland
Have you seen pictures of garland floating around the internet made from real oranges? I love the simplicity of it and the fruit to me is the perfect Summer to Fall transitional decor. I decided to finally try and make my own, which was completely free since I already had all the materials on hand!
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Slice Oranges
After trying a couple different thicknesses, I found slicing around 1/4” thick worked the best. Not too thin so they burn, but not too thick so they don’t properly dry out.
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and place oranges on top so they aren’t touching. Next, take a paper towel and press on top of the oranges to remove excess juice and moisture.
Bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours. I highly recommend removing them every 30 minutes to flip and make sure they are drying evenly!
Now that your slices are perfectly crispy, you will need some string or twine and some faux leaves if you wish to add them. I had one pick from the Dollar Tree laying around which gave me enough leaves for the entire garland. I told you this was cheap!
Since the string was a little thick to thread I actually just poked a hole in the slice with a needle and pushed the string though. You should find the flesh of the orange really easy to work with!
How you choose to make your garland is totally up to you! I spaced moderately and only added in leaves every few slices. Another added bonus is these smelled really amazing when putting them together!
Overall, I am super happy with how these turned out and they really couldn’t be easier! I think this will also make some cute decor come Christmastime as well! In the meantime, I am also going to try some other dried fruits with the same method for Fall—most likely apples and pears. If you give them a try also, I would love to hear your experience below!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How long will these keep before starting to "turn"?
Are the little orange bushes faux, if so, where did you get them or did you make them? Adorable! I want to make!!
How do you keep them so bugs don't get it. My sister made one and after a few months flying bugs took it over.