Pomander

Pomander balls are made in a number of ways. A favorite way is to make clove-studded orange pomanders scented with aromatherapy essential oils like orange oil, clove oil, lavender oil, vanilla oil, and neroli. Use herbs and spices like allspice, licorice root, star anise, rosemary herb, and orris root as well as ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and Whole cloves. Calamus root, angelica root, orris frankincense, myrrh, and sandalwood essential oil help the scent last. Use as natural air fresheners and as a natural moth repellent and give as a Mother’s Day gift, Christmas gift or keep to scent your surroundings. See below for other ideas using pine cones, scented gingerbread men, and small cornucopias.

Originally, a pomander was a perforated, often gold or silver ball made for perfumes, worn around the neck or carried in a vase, used to protect against infection or to mask bad odors. Some had several partitions to hold a different perfume in each. Today, pomanders are ornaments that are spicy and sweetly scented made from unblemished, firm fruit with thick skin. A variety of fruits may be used including apples, kumquats, lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines. Many pomanders are made out of oranges studded with whole cloves to use as a natural air freshener and moth repellent.

Method 1: To make a clove-studded orange:

Get together materials:

   •    Fresh, blemished-free orange
   •    Whole cloves* with large heads
   •    1 T ground allspice
   •    1 T ground cinnamon
   •    1 T ground cloves
   •    1/8 t ground ginger
   •    1 T ground nutmeg
   •    2 T orris root** or 4 drops sandalwood essential oil
   •    a few drops of clove oil (for refreshing only)
   •    a few drops of neroli oil
   •    a few drops of petitgrain oil
   •    a few drops of sweet orange oil
   •    Paper bag*** or bowl
   •    Ribbon if hanging
   •    Rubber band
   •    Thimble or toothpick

* The number of cloves depends on the size of the orange and the spacing between the cloves. Using more cloves tightly spaced works best.

**Orris root, from ground iris bulb, works as a preservative and scent enhancer. Due to potential allergic reactions to orris root, sandalwood essential oil may be used as an alternative preserver.

***A plastic bag could be used for mixing and distributing the spices on the orange, but not for storing to dry out. The moisture would not be able to escape and the orange would spoil.

Note: Drying time varies widely depending on humidity, temperature, size of orange, amount of spices, and clove covering. Complete drying can take up to 6 months, but drying time may be sped up by placing the orange in a warm place such as securely over a lampshade or on top of a clothes dryer. Light weight and a hollow sound when tapped indicate total dryness.

1.	In a bowl large enough to accommodate the orange, mix together the ground
	cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and orris root
2.	Add essential oils and stir.
3.	To avoid sore thumbs, use a thimble to insert whole cloves into the surface
	of an orange spacing closely together OR use a toothpick to prick holes all
	over the surface in the peel of a whole orange.
4.	If using a toothpick, insert the pointed end of a whole clove in each hole until
	the entire surface is covered.
5.	Spoon spices over the entire surface of the orange OR pour spices into the
	paper bag, place orange in the bag, hold the top closed, and gently shake
	bag until the spices are evenly distributed over the surface of the orange.
6.	Leave the orange in the paper bag and shake to distribute spices daily.
	OR for faster drying depending on temperature and humidity, leave the
	orange in an open bowl and sprinkle with spices daily. Allow the fruit to dry
	naturally in a cool, dark place for approximately two to three weeks* until the
	seasoned orange hardens. If orange should begin to spoil, throw it out.
7.	Shake off excess spices.
8.	Place the fruit in a piece of netting. Wrap the netting around the
	clove-studded orange. Then wrap a rubber band around the netting close to
	the orange. Tie a piece ribbon around the rubber band and make a bow. OR
	place several clove-studded oranges in a bowl without netting or ribbon as a
	fragrant natural air freshener and beautiful display arrangement. OR tie
	ribbon around the orange as if were a gift and tie a bow at the top or make a
	loop for hanging. Intersection of ribbon may be secured by sewing the ribbon
	together or by gluing.

Loosely wrap pomander in tissue paper if not in netting and place in a closet or drawer to refresh clothes and to ward off moths. Give as a Mother’s Day gift or use as a Christmas ornament.

A dried pomander can remain fragrant for many years. Boost the aroma from time to time by applying a few drops of clove, sweet orange, neroli, and petitgrain oils to the pomander's surface. They may also be washed in warm water and sprinkled with more spices mixed with the essential oils.

Method 2:

Various fixatives, herbs, and spices change the color of pomanders. Bay powder adds a light greenish-yellow color. For added texture, try using whole star anise with cloves, held in place with glass-headed straight pins. For a glittery look, attach sequins and beads while applying the cloves.

SKEWER: Using a wooden skewer or chopstick, poke the fruit from stem to blossom end. Leave in place while following the subsequent steps and until the pomander is completely dried. This produces a passage way for threading a ribbon for hanging.
APPLY CLOVES: Using pointed tweezers or needle-nosed pliers push whole cloves into the fruit. Patterns of stripes, swirls, or stars may be made with the cloves, but an even pattern usually works best. To help prevent bumps and cracks during drying, try to cover the entire surface.
APPLY OIL: Apply sweet orange oil or other oils to the fruit's skin using an eyedropper for the spice mixture to stick to the fruit.
APPLY SPICE/FIXATIVE MIXTURE: Enhance spice scents by adding various aromatherapy essential oils to spices or powered botanicals. Roll the pomander in a mixture of powdered spices and fixatives such as orris root, keeping the spices and fixatives in a 50-50 ratio. The fixative keeps the mixture from spoiling and preserves the aroma.
FURTHER DISTRIBUTE SPICE/FIXATIVE MIXTURE: Place the spice/fixative mixture in a small paper or plastic bag with the pomander and shake lightly to cover the fruit.
STORE: Store the pomander in a cool dry place for several weeks to dry thoroughly. For faster drying time, pomanders may be dried in an oven for several hours at the lowest setting, but a cooked odor will result.
HANG: After the pomander is dry, thread a ribbon through the skewer hole to hang. Knot at the end or also thread a large bead at the end of the ribbon to plug the hole.
USE: Placed in a closet to freshly scent clothes, hang in the kitchen for a spicy aroma, or in the bedroom for a citrus scent.

Try these pomander scents:

   •   allspice, calamus root*, coriander seed powder, and tangerine oil
   •   allspice, ground cinnamon, cloves, musk oil, orris, and sandalwood essential oil
   •   angelica root*, bay, rosemary herb, and pennyroyal oil

• anise, cinnamon, licorice root, oak moss*, tonka, and cinnamon oil
• cloves, tonka, vanilla oil, and musk oil

• frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood essential oil, and musk oil
• orris and sandalwood essential oil with lavender oil

*Calamus root, angelica, and oak moss are not available from Hope for Health in powdered form, but may be made into powdered form by chopping or pounding the plant material into small pieces and then grinding. This, however, is not recommended by the appliance manufacturers and should be done rarely and at risk to damaging the appliance.

MORE IDEAS:

Make scented Christmas tree ornaments, small cornucopias, baskets or boxes filled with wrapping paper to hold aromatic potpourri. Hang sachets on the Christmas tree or make them into holiday mobiles. Shape or mold scented play dough into ornaments or roll and cut aromatic gingerbread men.

For a natural look, use pine cones as ornaments similar to pomanders. They are easier and faster to make. Dip the cone into white glue and then into the scented mixture. Dry, then paint glue on the upper portion and roll in clear glitter for a frosted snowy appearance. Glue a pearl bead to the top and attach a gold thread to hang. String miniature pine cones for garlands.

Make scented ornaments that are appropriate for all seasons.