Drying oranges: decorate and perfume your entire home! Oranges are one of those foods that we can define as multifunctional. Delicious when eaten on their own, they can be included in many recipes, both sweet and savory.
Their high vitamin C content makes them an excellent ally to increase our immune defenses. Today, however, we focus on another characteristic: smell. Fresh and persistent, it will flood the house with an energetic and sunny aroma.
How to take advantage of the aroma of oranges
In order to use the aroma of this fruit, to perfume our home, it will be necessary to dry it first. Below we will see what methods we can use. For everyone, however, it will be necessary to start with the same operation and even earlier with the choice of fruit. We only buy organic oranges with thick skin. This will guarantee us a more persistent and also healthier smell. To dry them we must first wash them and cut them into thin slices. Then place them on a sheet of absorbent paper for half an hour to remove some of the juice. If we want, so as not to waste anything, while we wait to be able to use the dried oranges, we can place the sheet soaked in juice on top of a radiator. When it dries, it will release a delicious aroma throughout the house.
Various methods for drying oranges
Once our fruits have been washed, cut and dried, we must choose which method to use to dry them:
- We can use the oven at home. In this case, place the slices on a sheet of baking paper and bake at 90° for 3 hours. After half the time we turn them over.
- A faster method is to put the oranges in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power. We check the drying level from time to time to prevent burning.
- The most natural way possible to dry oranges is to simply aerate them. Place them on a stand where the sun shines directly. We will have to wait at least seven days and then turn them over, letting them rest for another seven days, so that they dry on both sides. If we are not in a hurry, this is the method for us.
- To avoid wasting a day, without our house smelling of citrus fruits, we can dry the slices directly on the radiators. Place them on a sheet of paper and place them on the radiators. In seven days they will be ready for later use.
Drying Oranges: How to Use Slices to Scent the House
Once we have obtained our beautiful dried orange slices, their use depends only on our imagination. If we are only interested in the smell, place them inside small cotton bags. Place them in various parts of the house, including near radiators and stoves, so that the heat releases all the aroma. Wanting to take advantage of the aesthetics of this homely perfumer, we can use the slices to create garlands to hang on the doors. Even compositions with dried flowers, to be placed on tables and shelves, are decorative and fragrant. A good idea is to make a centerpiece, using a simple transparent glass vase. We introduce the orange slices inside, perhaps along with other winter fruits such as chestnuts and walnuts. Our house will smell like a wonderful orange grove!
