Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
Adding little personal touches to your holiday gifts and decorations can make them much more special. Two different ways of embellishing your presents and tree come right from the pantry. Grab some citrus, baking soda, and cornstarch, and meet me in the kitchen.
Using dried citrus in holiday decor has been a long-held tradition, but for some reason, social media has made DIY dried fruit trendy this year. We can see why; it’s easy to do and makes everything look special. Simply take your favorite citrus, using lemons, limes, or oranges, and slice them very thin. The idea is to dehydrate the fruit, so blot them to absorb some of the juice. Place the citrus slices on a cookie cooling rack in a single layer. At this point, you can choose the slow method or the fast way. Using the slow method, allow your citrus to air-dry for several days or weeks, flipping them over every few days. If time is of the essence, you can also dry them in your oven at low heat. Place in the oven and heat to 175°. Allow them to dry in the oven for up to two hours, keeping an eye on them and flipping every so often. If your oven runs hot, you may want to turn down the heat a bit. Personally, I only baked them for a half hour, then strung them with twine and pine for a Christmas garland. They were able to finish air-drying while they hung. You do need to make sure they thoroughly dehydrate before using them as embellishments. I made the mistake of placing the extras in a bowl. A few weeks later, they were a moldy mess, but the ones that were strung up and hung had dried beautifully.
The second adornment uses baking soda and cornstarch. You may recall having made salt dough ornaments as a child. These are very similar, but the baking soda/cornstarch ornaments come out whiter and smooth, which looks better to me. Add one cup of baking soda (don’t accidentally use baking powder!) in a medium-sized pot with 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 3/4 cup water. Mix well and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. Keep stirring and turn down the heat if necessary. Don’t let it get too hot, or the mixture will burn. After a few minutes, your concoction will resemble mashed potatoes. At this point, take the pot off the heat, and allow your dough to cool to room temperature. Once it’s cool enough to handle, sprinkle a little cornstarch on a sheet of parchment paper, and roll out your dough. Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes for ornaments. You can also use a knife to make rectangles for gift tags. Be sure to use a skewer to make a small hole for the ribbon. The dough can be re-rolled over and over again, just like sugar cookie dough. You can also add some texture to your gift tags and ornaments by pressing pieces of pine or other designs into the dough. The next step is the same as the citrus. You can bake them in the oven at a low temperature or allow your decorations to air-dry. Of course, drying times will vary based on how thick or thin you have rolled out the dough. Don’t make them too thin, or the ornaments will be brittle. Whether you dry them in the oven or air-dry, be sure to flip them over periodically. This will help your decorations dry more evenly and also keep them from warping. Once they have thoroughly dried, you can write a name or fun sentiments on the gift tags and ornaments. You can also add a dash of gold paint to any designs you’ve made.
Once your homemade decorations have thoroughly dried, think of creative ways to use them. Add a pretty ribbon or string for a tree ornament or gift tag. For a rustic look, string your oranges with twine and pieces of pine. The fruit can be used to dress up a holiday drink. Add sugar to the rim of your guest’s glass, fill with some party punch, and top with a sprig of rosemary and your slice of dried citrus.
We would love to see your DIY ornaments. Send pictures of your creations to shorelocalgardener@gmail.com.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
