Citrus fruits for preparing dried oranges for the Christmas tree must be without damage (there should be no marks from blows, cracks, or signs of frostbite on the peel). You can take not only oranges, but also other citrus fruits, for example, grapefruit, lemon, lime.
Citrus fruits need to be washed very well to get rid of dust, dirt and possible wax deposits. Wipe dry.
Using a sharp knife, cut the oranges into thin slices. The thickness should be approximately 0.3-0.4 cm, but not more than 0.5 cm, otherwise they will take a very long time to dry in the oven. Try to cut the oranges so that all the segments are the same throughout, because the thin edge will dry out and start to burn faster, while the thick edge will remain moist.
Now you need to blot the orange slices with paper towels or napkins to remove as much juice as possible. To do this, cover a cutting board with several layers of paper towels, lay out orange circles in an even layer, cover with another layer of towels and press lightly with your palm so that excess moisture is absorbed into them.
Place the baking sheet in an oven previously preheated to 70-80 degrees to dry for 4-6 hours. The drying time for oranges will depend on the thickness of the fruit itself and the characteristics of your oven. I dried my oranges for 4.5 hours in a gas oven. To achieve a temperature of 70-80 degrees, you can insert a wooden spatula with the oven door slightly open.
Every hour you need to turn the citrus slices over so that they dry evenly.
If the smaller circles on the baking sheet are already completely ready, they can be removed from the oven: carefully separate them from the paper and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Cool the finished dried oranges completely on a baking sheet or wire rack.
You can make fragrant decorations from these dried oranges by attaching a bay leaf and a cinnamon stick to them. This bunch will fill the room with spicy aromas.
If you want to preserve dried oranges longer and use them as an addition to dishes, then store them in a tightly closed jar. It is enough to grind dried oranges in a coffee grinder or blender and add them to fish and meat dishes, and also use them to make cocktails and add them to baked goods.
Can you already hear the subtle ringing of bells, heralding the beginning of the New Year's festivities? So, it's time to cast a spell on home decoration, create comfort and a magical atmosphere.
But don’t rush to buy store-bought decor. There are many cute details you can make with your own hands right in the kitchen. This "With taste" will show examples of fragrant and unusually beautiful crafts made from citrus fruits, nuts, winter berries and spices.
New Year's Decor Ideas
How to dry fruit for decoration
Slices of oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruits and apples are prepared in two ways. First, the fruit must be cut into 5–7 mm slices and blotted with a waffle towel to remove excess juice. Then they are placed on an oven rack covered with parchment and simmered at a temperature of 130–140 degrees for about 4 hours.
Less energy-intensive way to dry even slices- use the heat of the battery. To do this, you need to place the prepared fruits on a strip of cardboard with holes often pierced with an awl. Then you should cover the rings with the same cardboard and tie them with twine. The radiator will dry the fruit in 3–5 days.
Before the New Year, you always want something special: a secretly desired gift, unexpected luck, a pleasant surprise from a loved one or an unusual treat. The soul is waiting for a miracle and a little magic. I want my home to be incredibly beautiful and festive and to smell like tangerines and oranges.
So what's the deal? Here are some ideas for this. All that remains is to take it and do it, and a miracle, it will not be able to pass by and will definitely look into the house where it is expected, and there is an aroma of citrus, pine and spicy spices.
A simple arrangement of orange slices, cinnamon sticks and star anise placed in a clear container will fill your home with citrus scents and create a festive mood.
An unusual Christmas tree made of cones, pine needles, cinnamon, rowan berries and citrus fruits will take you to a fairy-tale forest where it smells delicious of orange and sweets (cinnamon).
A Christmas tree pyramid made of bright yellow lemons will give you a sunny mood and refresh the interior.
You can decorate the serving table in an original way by replacing the usual tinsel with a garland of lemon branches and berries.
This composition captivates with its simplicity and originality.
A bright wreath of juicy fruits will delight the eye and give you a sunny mood.
Down with gray tones in the interior! The holiday should be bright. Let's add some color even to the stairs.
The most natural and delicious decoration.
Such a beautiful wreath on the door will remind all household members and guests of the upcoming family holiday.
A transparent vase filled with tangerines, rowan berries and spruce branches, like a small fragrant lantern, creates an atmosphere of comfort and celebration in the house.
This original garland of fir paws, dried orange slices, pine cones and dried fruits is very bright and beautiful - an excellent solution for New Year's decoration.
The incredibly delicious smell of tangerine, yellow drops of fruit on a snow-white table, candles. This is exactly what a romantic New Year's Eve can be like.
Green tangerine, orange orange, yellow lemon. Their bright colors will illuminate the room and fill it with warmth, and snowflakes interspersed with cloves carved on the peel of the fruit will turn them into fragrant New Year's balls.
Eco-style on the Christmas tree. Fabulous, and not at all boring.
A fragrant ball of tangerine and cloves. Mmm... what a smell!
Original decoration for the window. Beads strung on a thread, like small pieces of ice, orange slices, like lights. Cold and warm. Stunning contrast.
What is it impossible for our people to imagine the New Year without? Surely without Olivier, “The Irony of Fate” and the smell of juicy tangerines. 
And if the first two points do not seem problematic, then citrus fruits are an insidious thing. There are allergies to them. And the invigorating festive aroma is often present solely in our imagination. And real fruit smells no better than plastic. But the smell is half the festive atmosphere. Therefore, we suggest showing a little resourcefulness and making an original and very fragrant decoration for your home - a real orange garland!
A garland is as poorly replaceable an attribute of the winter holidays as citrus fruits. So why not combine them, and at the same time, combine business and pleasure by making an original decoration for your home? Which with its aroma will drive away the blues for a long time and remind you of the festive season.
To make an orange garland you will need:
1. 2-3 medium sized oranges;
2. Twine or fishing line;
3. Additionally and purely optional: tangerine peels, cones or bay leaves
Step 1: preparing oranges correctly
Cut the oranges into large, dense rings. Take a baking sheet, line it with parchment and place the orange slices. Leave to dry at least overnight, or better yet, for two to three days. After the drying time has passed, return the oranges to the kitchen, preheat the oven to 110-120 degrees and bake the citruses for 3 hours.
Step 2: stringing
The oranges are ready for further transformation when they acquire a light golden brown crust. Let them cool and in the meantime prepare a long skein of twine or fishing line. Using a thick needle or nail, make two holes side by side in each slice and string them one after another in a long row.
Step 3: Additional Decorations
If desired, include bay leaves, pine cones or dried tangerine peels in your fragrant garland to enhance the smell and feeling of the holiday. Use your imagination!
There is very little time left before the New Year, and therefore many people are already beginning to think about how they can decorate the New Year tree so that it will amaze everyone around with its beauty. Of course, now in stores you can find a large variety of Christmas tree decorations for every taste and wallet size.
But if you want to ensure that no one else has a Christmas tree like yours, then you can use original decorations made from improvised materials to decorate it. Don't know where to start? Then remember the stories of your mothers and grandmothers. Previously, the New Year tree was decorated with fruits and sweets. So why don’t you make the same “delicious” decorations yourself?
Of course, candies on the Christmas tree won’t last long, especially if there are children in the house, but fruits will be a real boon for you. It is best to use oranges or tangerines for this purpose, as their aroma goes well with the smell of pine needles. Moreover, even the smallest family members can participate in making toys from citrus fruits.
How can you make such fragrant decorations?
There are several options for making Christmas tree decorations from oranges.
You can simply cut them into circles, the thickness of which should not exceed 15 mm. After this, the oranges need to be placed on a baking sheet covered with foil and placed in the oven for 4 hours. The temperature should be minimal - no higher than 65ºС. The circles need to be turned over every hour. After you remove the oranges from the oven, you need to place them on a napkin to cool.
Then you need to make a hole in them and stretch a rope or ribbon through it. That's all - your New Year's decoration is ready. You can hang one circle or several at once on one string. You can also create a fragrant composition from dried oranges and cinnamon sticks, or make a whole garland from citrus circles. You can look at the photos on the Internet for options for such decorations.
You can use citrus fruit peels to create Christmas decorations. Tangerines are good for this, but oranges can also be used. You can use a pen to draw any shape you want on the inside of the peel. After this, it needs to be cut out with scissors or a knife. Sometimes the orange peel is too thick.
In this case, it is necessary to scrape off its white layer with a knife. If you want all the figures to be the same size, you can use cookie cutters to cut them.
An important point is that a hole for the rope must be made in the peel immediately, before it has dried.
After this, the resulting figures need to be placed on paper under a heavy press, which can be used as a large book. This will prevent the peel from curling while drying. Your decorations will be ready in just a few days.
You can also make your own New Year's orange balls. First, several incomplete cuts must be made on the whole orange, after which it must be placed on the radiator overnight. And in the morning you should get the pulp out of it, slightly widening the cuts. You need to make a hole on top for the rope. After this, the orange must be placed on the battery again. In this way it is dried for 4 days, turning it periodically.
As you can see, you can make many beautiful and original Christmas tree decorations from orange. To do this, you just need to show a little imagination.
