Start looking for oranges on sale. Dried orange slices are really easy to make, last for years & look just as good with a modern or a classic Christmas. PLUS there's a new trend in citrus drying on the Internet. And I test it.
You can take your seats and relax because this is probably the easiest and most effective Christmas decoration in existence other than setting out a box of After Eight dinner mints
Dried orange slices. Slice, bake, hang. Those are your instructions. That's it.
You might think with something so simple the results would be mediocre. They are not. The results are spectacular.
Table of Contents
So what can you do with them?
You can:
- hang them on a tree
- set them in a bowl
- tuck them into garland
- make an ENTIRE garland out of them
- stick them on a wood skewer and use them in planters or windowboxes
- make a wreath out of them (I have no idea how but I'm going to try to do just that, this year)
Use them however you want, orange slices are incredibly accommodating. They'll give you no trouble at all.
How to make dried orange slices.
Ingredients
Oranges, cut to ¼" thick
- Preheat oven to lowest temperature.
- Cut the orange slices to around ¼" thick.
- Set them on wire cookie racks, not a metal baking sheet (because they can stick and don't dry as evenly)
- Bake them at the lowest temperature your oven goes to (For me that was 150F.) for 4-6 hours* or until no stickiness remains.
* I have found the length of time to dry oranges or any citrus varies WILDLY. It could take 6 hours or it could take 24 hours.
2024 Update
There's a new trend for making dried orange slices. Suddenly everyone is recommending dusting them with powdered sugar before drying to make them the most vibrant they can be.
This year I tested that trend.
Before
After
- I dehydrated one tray of sliced oranges. Half I sprinkled with powdered sugar. Half I just cut & laid down on the tray.
- The scuttlebutt in dried citrus circles is that sprinkling the orange slices with powdered sugar is *the* way to get your oranges as vibrant and glassy as possible. It's the secret trick.
- There was no difference at all. In fact the plain ones looked better.
- I've placed all the slices into individual labelled containers and I'll check their colour again in next year.
TIP FOR ORANGE SLICES
I bought most of my oranges from the reduced produce section. They were bruised and weird, and yet they all turned out perfectly.
Let them dry until when you touch them they don't feel sticky at all. That can take from 4-6 hours depending on how thick the slices are and how juicy the orange is.
When they've finished drying just remove them from the oven, call yourself Laura Ingalls and look for a place to set them.
The oranges I had on the lower rack of my oven turned out darker than the ones higher up in the oven. If I'd checked on them more often I could have removed the lower ones so they didn't darken quite as much, but I actually like the variation in colours. You could also rotate your pans throughout the drying process.
As they age, they get darker anyway so don't worry about it.
How long will they last?
Years! I've had my original orange slices since 2017 and they're still in perfect shape, they've just become a bit darker. I just store them loose in a shoebox. 🤷♀️
The magic happens when the tree lights come on. If you place or orange slices in the vicinity of a lightbulb they GLOW like stained glass. This isn't some sort of Photoshop magic, this is how the dried orange slices look at night with the tree on.
Don't they look delicious? I know your next question.
Can you eat them?
Yes you can. I've never thought they were terribly delicious but it is fun to bite into a crispy orange.
Keeping dried orange slices in a mason jar somewhere in your pantry makes you look legit. You could be a legit cocktail master, a legit homesteader, a legit crafter ... The bottom line is if you have a jar of orange slices, you've got respect.
These orange slices combined with my DIY tree candles has resulted in the most beautiful Christmas tree I've ever had. (I'm updating the tree candles this year so watch for that)
Your tree will never catch a cold which is an added bonus.
Dried Orange Slices
A Christmas ornament for all of your senses. O.K. Maybe just your eyes and nose, but still.
Materials
- Naval oranges
Tools
- Oven or Dehydrator
Instructions
- Cut orange slices to around ¼" thick.
- Set them on wire cookie racks, not a metal cookie sheet (because they can stick and don't dry as evenly)
- Bake them at the lowest temperature your oven goes to for 4-6 hours or until no stickiness remains.
- For a DEHYDRATOR set the dehydrator to 135 degrees F and let them dry until they aren't sticky. It could take up to a day but check on them every few hours.
You could hang the oranges with ribbon or twine but I wanted the orange slices and only the orange slices to show up so I just shoved a regular hook for hanging Christmas balls through them. The hooks just disappear once they're on the tree.
Let's end with a poem. I have no idea why.
"Dried oranges, crisp and bright,
Powdered sugar, pure white light.
But who needs a dusting, sweet and fine,
When citrus alone works divine?
~clappity clappity~
So thankful for the link in today's post (2018)! Every year we get an enormous crate of fruit, and we eat one single grapefruit from it. THIS year, they won't go to waste!
Thank you for being so cool! Now I'm off to discover just how easy your lights are to DIY!
That is the prettiest Christmas tree you have done...I think I might have to do some fruit ornaments...I like to make wreaths too and they would look great on a wreath!
Thanks Nancy. I like it too! ~ karen
I realise probably 99% of your readers live in the Northern hemisphere, but down here in the South Africa, we are suffering a terrible heatwave, awful drought & never have regular electricity.
So for those readers, just stick them on a wire rack in the car, in the sun! They dry in a few hours! Or under a fly cover in the garden, I have sun-dried tomatoes in 3 hours in 40 degrees centigrade!
Jealous of your rain & cool temperatures... :(
Snow soon! (here that is ... not for you I'm afraid.) ~ karen!
Those are great DIYs, and your tree looks just beautiful!!!
Ok I was just thinking an ornamental look for maybe a picture on one of their swings. I am personally not a fan of people clothing on any animals including collars on pets etc. And cmon, it would not have been a stupid sweater. More like one from holts. Lol. I got the gist from your post. Thanks !
The cat will have to wait. I have some pet beds I am currently busy with. 🐾✌🏼😊 Heidi
Heidi,
Some dogs really need sweater or jammies. Greyhound, whippets, Italian greyhounds - they have very little body fat and they would really be cold. Whippets and Italian greyhounds literally crave heat and they burrow under covers to stay warm.
Hey these are great!!!
Also do your chickens wear sweaters?
I would crochet you one if you like 😁
I actually did a post on this Heidi. Chickens should not wear sweaters. Ever. https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/why-your-chicken-doesnt-need-a-stupid-sweater/ But feel free to crochet one for my cats. ~ karen!
I'd never dry kumquats! they barely make it from my tree to my kitchen.
My brain just used all it's power this morning associating my question with this post but- I have recently had a House Wren bird adopt itself to the burlap wreath on my front porch. Feather Locklear (its name) buries itself in the folds of the burlap each night and sleeps there. I'd love to put up some sort of bird buffet around my front door for FL to entice it to stay(even though its been here almost 2 months). I scatter bird seed in a planter close by, a bird bath for water, and feeders set up in the yard but something like this might be fun on the large camelia bush by my porch. Anyone have any suggestions for bird friendly treats?
See http://www.Audubon.org/news/make-your-own-suet. I made a batch today.
I know this was in 2017 so I assume the birdie isn't there anymore but my favorite fun birdfeeder is a pinecone (I just look around and find one) covered in whatever nut butter you prefer and then cover it in birdseed and some bird friendly dried fruits. Walmart also sells like bird treats I believe so that would be cool!!
yes indeed, i like it!!!!
Simply gorgeous, it's amazing how you can do something so dramatically different every year. Very creative...
My sister and I were just talking about that the other day. But it's really all the same stuff that I own, I just mix things up a bit in how I display it. Plus of course I made the candles and oranges this year. :) ~ karen!
Could they be used to decorate packages? I’m stealing your black paper idea and using lush green satin ribbon. The orange would be a great contrast if they aren’t mushy. Suggestions?
That would be great on presents Stefanie B. How prophetic of you. ;) ~ karen!
This is my most favorite tree that you have done Karen. It looks so nostaglic and simply beautiful. Well Done!
Thanks Kat. :) ~ karen!
Beautiful Old-fashioned Tree! Questions...Do the oranges drip juice? Should I put a cookie sheet under the cookie racks? Just asking. Don't want to have to scrub burned on OJ. I want to try this soon. Can't wait to see your topper.
No juice dripping Loli. It all just slowly evaporates. :) I normally don't put on a tree topper, but this one is feeling like it might need it. :/ ~ karen!
I have a question for those of you who have already dried citrus, placed them on the tree AND have a dog :) - was your dog attracted to these? Worried my golden retriever may want to eat them.
Sorry I don't have an answer for you but your question reminds me of a story about my sister. She shared a house with my brother for a few years when they were young. She had a cat & my brother had a very large dog. My sister spent many hours making dough ornaments & hung them on the Christmas tree. When my brother & sister got home from work the next day the only thing left of her ornaments were all the heads - as far up the tree that the dog could reach. He ate as many as were in his reach. Then, because the dog & cat would run & play, I think their tree was knocked over at least 3 times because the cat would run & jump in the tree.
Your tree looks great. Good job, Karen. Love it. I don't know where you get all these ideas but keep them coming, girlfriend.
I love this idea!
This is the prettiest Christmas tree I’ve ever seen.
Aw, thanks Jean ann! I'm pretty happy with it too. :) ~ karen!
I saw this post in my feed and smiled at the synchronicity. I just bought oranges for drying for this purpose. I had done this years ago and loved how the slices look like stained glass, particularly if you make sure there is a light behind them, on the tree. I kept those slices in my decoration box for yeeeaarssss. This year I am making them simply because we have CRAZY CLIMBING kittens and we figured if the tree stays standing ( highly unlikely) we could only decorate with lights. Then I saw someone making them on Instagram for the same kitten reason, gotta love Instagram and here we go !
Now this I will do!! Thank you!
Well, for once, I beat ya to it. I put dried oranges on the tree we drug in the house that the teenager took out with her car. The kids AND my husband talked smack. Said it was weird. Now I have proof that there's another weirdo out there.