DIY Dried Orange Garland
Interested in making your own natural and easy decor this Fall? Give dried citrus garlands a try! There are different methods for drying them, and ways to hang them up. You really can make it your own!
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There’s something really dreamy and hippie about hanging natural materials in your home. Even hanging herbs to dry isn’t an eyesore for me. It’s decor!
I’ve seen people hang dried citrus slices before, usually in Autumn and Winter. There is some history when it comes to receiving oranges as a gift at Christmas, but also with decorating your home with natural Fall materials, like dried leaves and acorns.
Whether you’re trying to keep tradition alive, or try something new, these dried oranges make a gorgeous addition to your home.
How to Make a Dried Orange Garland
You can make these in your dehydrator if you’re a food preservation nut like I am, but if you don’t have one, your oven will do just fine!
The key is to dry them out on the lowest temp your oven will go for a long period of time. Even drying them out in my dehydrator took days, though that was probably due to the chaos that is my life, and not how long the slices actually needed to dry out properly.
Either way, start my cutting your slices “just right.” Not too thick, not too thin. If they’re too thin, they won’t hold up well, and if they’re too thick, they won’t dry out properly. If you dry these out the way they should be, they can conceivably be left up for several months to a couple of years.
Directions for Making a Dried Citrus Garland in the Oven
- Turn your oven to the lowest temp possible. 225-275 degrees F will do.
- Lay your orange slices out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Allow your slices to dry out for several hours. I would say 5 hours minimum, turning them as needed.
Watch out for the slices turning brown towards the end. You’ll know when they’re done because they shouldn’t be super sticky anymore. The moisture should be all but gone from each slice, though a couple of the thicker ones may be a little trickier. You definitely don’t want to hang up orange slices that aren’t done all the way, as it’ll attract bugs.
Directions for Making a Dried Citrus Garland in the Dehydrator
This is the dehydrator I currently own and love!
The directions are more or less the same, but you should use the medium setting on your dehydrator if you have it. The color is much more vibrant when you follow this method, though the time it takes can vary.
I found that mine were not done by the time I was ready to go to bed, so I turned the dehydrator off and turned it back on the following morning. I also had grapefruit slices in mine as well, so those took a while longer. All in all, I would start this project a couple of days before you want to hang them, and a week in advance if you have a bunch of small children like I do.
Also, dehydrated oranges are still delicious. Don’t be surprised if little hands get a hold of a few in the process.
To hang your dehydrated citrus slices up, you can run some twine through the hole in the center of each orange slice, or use a thick needle and twine. You can add wooden beads, bay leaves, leaves, and other decor to your garland, or keep it simple like I did.
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