How to make modern holiday pomanders

Hello beautiful people!

Now you may be thinking "what is she up to"?  Why is an aromatherapist blogging about how to make pomanders?  Pomanders were an early form of aromatherapy of course!  One of our most powerful senses we have is our sense of smell.  It is hardwired directly to the brain.  A message from your sense of smell will get to the brain before any other message received from our five senses.  Nothing cements feelings and emotions in our bodies like the smells associated with them.  And to me, nothings says "holiday happiness" like cinnamon, cloves and oranges.

Where does it come from?

Originally pomanders were little balls of perfume carried in viles, vases or perforated metal balls (much like a locket).  They were used, well, to smell good.  As they were used as far back as the 1500's you can well imagine there were plenty of bad smells around you would want to cover up.  They were also used to protect against infection.  Spices like clove and cinnamon are very anti-bacterial.  Apparently even Nostradamus had a famous (if not infamously elaborate) pomander recipe.  You can check it out here.

Traditional orange pomanders

So without further ado, let's look at the modern "traditional" version of the pomander.  There are all kinds of decorated balls out there.  That's how a modern pomander has come to be known.  Today we're looking at the orange/clove pomanders that would have traditionally been hung in the house during the winter months to freshen the air, kill germs and of course just look pretty and smell good.  Remember, our easy access to essential oils and even those horrid  $0.99 air fresheners are relatively new developments.  

So - You're going to need an orange and lots of cloves and, if so desired, lots of spices and some ribbon.

Making the pomander

This is easy and fun.  There are so many variations of this project that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.  The simplest method is to stick cloves in your orange.  Done!  Kids can do it and they love it!  Stick them all over, make great patterns, lines, designs etc.  If you like, then simply tie a ribbon around it to hand and voila!  This variation will last a week at best.

If you want to take it up a notch you'll need a knitting needle (or something equally pointy) and lots and lots of spices like cinnamon.

First poke holes where you want your cloves to go.  One clove per hole.  If you want your pomander to last a long time you'll need to cover it with cloves like in the picture.  You'll also need to make sure the holes don't touch each other.

Cover your orange by pushing a clove into each hole.  Don't leave exposed orange where you want the ribbon to go. It will get shriveled and nasty.  You'll have better results for your efforts if you cover the entire orange and tie the ribbon over the cloves.

Now if you want it to last even longer you need to cure it.  There are a couple of ways to do this.  The best (but most expensive) is to cover the orange with a ground spice mixture (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom) as you wish.  Leave it in there for two weeks, turning from time to time.

A less expensive way is to put at least a cup of spice mixture into a small paper bag.  Put in your orange and shake it around to cover the clove covered orange. Leave it in the bag with the bag closed and every day shake it to re-coat the orange.  Do this for about 2 weeks.  With this method I've seen pomanders last up to a year.

When it's cured.  Tie the ribbon around it and hang!  Breath deep and enjoy your DIY aromatherapy.  Do this every year, maybe with a group of friends to pass an evening and you'll be amazed at how the scent will fix beautiful memories of friendship and warmth in your body.  Memories of the time spent making them and the warm memories of smelling it in the mornings, warming the room.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!