Decided I wanted to make a fresh garland for my tree this holiday season. I debated marshmallows or popcorn but was pretty sure our Great Danes would eat them off the tree.

Instead I picked up a bag of naval oranges at the grocery store and started slicing to make a garland.

I tried to keep the slices 1/4” or thinner so they would dry faster.

One bag of oranges made about 3 cookie sheets full of slices. Parchment paper is recommended but I didn’t have any. They recommend blotting the fruit with paper towels to absorb moisture before baking.

I baked them at 200 degrees for 3 hours. Some thicker slices needed longer. You want the fruit to be dry and almost translucent.

You can also use lemons, limes and grapefruits to vary the color and sizes.

You want them to dry out but not burn. A few of these got darker in places but when they fully dry out the centers of the oranges will become dark orange/brown anyway.

I used a pretty green twine from Target and a large needle to make my garland.

I used the twine to thread through the orange slices – twice per slice on each side. And VOILA!!! A dried orange slice garland.

Isn’t that sweet?

Happy holidays y’all- Kristen