Visit our Circulation department for print subscription information. Giving homemade gifts of food is a holiday tradition that's always in style. Folks with a sweet tooth will appreciate Christmas cookies, fudge and fruit or nut breads, but almost anyone would welcome a crock of savory cheese or a tin of toasted nuts. Folks with a sweet tooth will appreciate Christmas cookies, fudge and fruit or nut breads, but almost anyone would welcome a crock of savory cheese or a tin of toasted nuts. The cloves can be positioned in a swirl pattern or other design, but the pomander ball will last longer if the heads of the cloves nearly touch one another, covering the surface of the fruit.
Some crafters roll the clove-studded fruit in ground cinnamon for a more complex fragrance.
After the pomander balls have dried on a cake rack in a warm, dry place for a week or two, they're ready to use. Beribboned, wrapped in tulle, or left plain, the clove-scented pomanders can be given as gifts, hung on the Christmas tree, or tucked in among holiday greenery. Small lemon or lime pomanders can serve as place-card holders or favors for the dining table, while a pyramid of orange or apple pomanders makes a dramatic centerpiece. After the holidays, the pomander balls can scent closets and drawers. Over time, the fruit will shrink somewhat, but the natural preservative qualities of the cloves should make the pomanders last a year or more.