Make a garland with fruit: how to dry them properly?
Orange is the number one choice for creating dried fruit garlands and decorations. This popularity dates from 19e century, a time when it became a Christmas present and an essential decoration, because it was not expensive.
In addition, it symbolized the sun which shines in the middle of winter. To create more varied garlands, however, you can opt for other citrus fruits: pomelo or lemon, in particular. Other top fruits for creating Christmas wreaths include apples and pears.
Dried fruit garlands are among the DIY decoration ideas that will cost you nothing or almost nothing. If it is possible to find them in stores, it is best to make them yourself. Count 2 to 3 fruits per garland, depending on the planned length and the technique used.
To dry your fruit, follow these steps:
- Preheat the oven to 140°C (fan);
- Cut the fruit into thin slices;
- Place parchment paper on a baking sheet, and place the fruit slices on it;
- Bake for 1 hour, turning the fruit halfway through cooking.
Finish by applying a transparent varnish, which will protect your fruits and guarantee them better hold.
DIY: 5 Christmas garlands made with dried fruit
To make your dried fruit garlands, it is best to avoid ribbons and opt for a woolen cord or a jute or Baker Twine type cord. You must also have a sturdy needle, such as a wool needle.
This garland is made using dried citrus slices, cinnamon sticks and rosemary twigs. Here we drill into the flesh of the fruit: it is therefore advisable to work with fruits that have been previously varnished. To ensure greater strength, you can add a dot of hot glue at the cord, on the back of the orange slice.
To give a very contemporary Scandi look to your dried fruit garland, mix the techniques. Think about wooden beads, which remain very natural. Here, we added stars. You can use felt, polymer clay or clay stars. The alternative is salt dough, which you can color with spices such as cinnamon and turmeric.
100% natural and 100% gourmet look for this dried fruit garland, decorated with nuts! Tips: to reproduce this model, use a jute cord, thin enough and strong enough to be able to pierce the nuts. And we avoid piercing the dried fruit slices too close to the edges, to avoid breaking them.
Cranberries are one of the dried fruits commonly used to make fall decorations and Christmas decorations across the Atlantic. What if we steal this idea? Cranberries are not always easy to find.
Rather than drying them yourself, get a bag of freeze-dried cranberries: you will have 100% natural pearls to add color to your garland! Do you have any left? Incorporate it into your cookies instead of chocolate chips (… or with them!) to give them a Christmas flavor.
Piercing the slices in the middle means using a very large amount of dried fruit to create this garland. The result, however, is pretty great! The trick is to bring breathing to your composition. Here, for example, we added bay leaves, the green of which brings freshness, as well as wooden beads.
We generally use this technique to make fairly short garlands, which are not necessarily suitable for decorating the tree. So reserve your creation to decorate the fireplace or the sideboard. Consider adding pretty finishes – here, a pompom whose green is reminiscent of bay leaves.