Pomander Balls

For over a century, spicy pomander balls have been used to decorate houses and have been hung in closets to repel moths. Traditional ones are clove studded fruit that have been rolled in a spice mixture and dried. While oranges are most commonly used, lemons, limes, apples or hard pears can also be used.

The word pomander comes from the French "pommed ' ambre, meaning apple of ambergris." The ambergris was placed in decorative cases of gold, silver, ivory, or wood and worn around the neck or waist to protect against infections and mask unpleasant odors.

Pomander balls is easy and fun to make. It can be a lovely gifts and holiday decoration too. Small ones can be used as tree decorations or can be wired into wreaths. Larger ones can be hung around the house decorating rooms or entry ways.

These wonderfully spicy fragrance Pomander is a lovely way to spruce up your closets during the winter months.

What you will need is:

Citrus Fruit - has been traditionally used as the base of pomanders. Choose from a large thin skinned orange, lime or lemon.
Darning needle – is used for pricking holes in the skin. Other option is you can use fork.
50 g Whole Cloves – with strong stems and large heads to stick in the skin.
2 tbsp Spices – are lightly dust over the fruit to make it fragrant. You can use ground cinnamon or your favorite ones.
2 tbsp Orris root powder – to help fix and preserve the various scent.
Paper bag, greaseproof paper,ribbon, lemon juice.

How To Make A Pomander Balls

Gently knead the skin to soften it. If you wish, mark and groove a pattern on the skin. Rub the pith with lemon juice to keep it shines.
Stick the whole cloves into the fruit, pricking the skin with darning needle first if necessary. Leave a clove space between each to allow for any shrinkage as the fruit dries. Fruit usually will shrink about two third of its original size during the slow drying process.
If you want to hang the pomander, leave a blank band around the fruit the width of the the ribbon you will be using. This makes a handy groove to hold it in place. You can use masking tape or elastic bands.
Mix the orris powder with the spices – you can use cinnamon. Nutmeg, coriander. Put the mixture on to a sheet of greaseproof paper. Gently roll the decorated fruit in the spices and powder mix until it is evenly covered.
Wrap the finished fruit in a paper bag and leave in the dark, dry, airy place for at least three weeks. It should dry thoroughly, shrink and harden. The fruit must dried completely or it will go mouldy.
Once the fruit has dried add the finishing decorative touches. Tie it with ribbon, lace or coloured net. To hang the pomanders up – make a loop of ribbon and secure with glue or pins.

Tips for scent of Pomander Balls :

The fragrance of pomander should last for many years. But if the scent begin to fade, refresh the perfume by lightly painting the pomader with an orange essential oil mixed with cloves. This will produce a wonderfully sensual, tropical smell of citrus and spices. Place the pomander in a warm place ( between 18 – 22 C or 65 – 75 F ), where the scent will smell strongest.

Tips for hanging the Pomander Balls :

You can make a crisscross pattern on the fruit with masking tape. After finished, Place ribbons in a criss-cross fashion where the tape was placed or elastic bands. Sew the ends together and make a loop for hanging.

Pomander looks beautiful when several of them are placed in a bowl together. In this case ribbons are not necessary.