Holiday Decorations from The Kitchen: Dried Orange Slices

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The kitchen comes through yet again when it comes time for seasonal decorating. This time, we're turning to the fruit bowl for oranges. Thinly sliced and dehydrated, they make translucent and glowing ornaments for the tree:

Simply cut an orange into very thin slices and dehydrate in your oven. The resulting orange circles can be used on the tree, strung up on garland, or scattered on tabletop centerpieces.

What is your favorite way to use foods from the kitchen for holiday decorating?

(Images: Play Create Explore, Olde Glory, Flower Patch Farm Girl, Young House Love, Delicooks)

Categories: Supplies, Gatherings, Christmas, Decorating, Fruit

Posted by Regina Yunghans

Regina is an architect who lives with her husband and son in Lawrence, KS. As a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on healthy, sustainable living through design.
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Comments (4)

I wonder if Orioles (and other fruit birds) would like these on an outside tree? Maybe on a strand with cranberries and dried apple?

I love the way these look, but would they attract bugs? More specifically, is this a bad idea in a small NYC apartment?

What time and temp do you recommend for dehydrating orange slices- what thickness?

i sliced mine as thin as i could (a little under a quarter inch), put them in at like 175, turned them every hour or two, and it took about 4-5 hours.

also, i LOVE the garland idea! if we had more than two oranges that were about to go bad (which i turned into ornaments 2 days ago!) i would totally do that idea.

also, ours (in our boston apt, where it's been plenty warm for bugs) have been pleasantly bug-free so far--i think the key is dehydrating TOTALLY, till they aren't even slightly tacky anymore.