HOW TO MAKE DEHYDRATED CITRUS ORNAMENTS
VLOG | How to dry Orange Slices | DIY Holiday Decor Ideas | Bloopers | Jill Beans
Welcome Beautiful Souls!
This VLOG highlights what I am getting up to for overhauling my Christmas décor. I share How to make dried citrus ornaments, garland and a few other fun ideas) - you can use dried citrus for so many things.
DON'T forget to watch until the end for some BLOOPERS.
You will find the full written instructions below the video.
This Holiday Season, I’ve decided to overhaul out Christmas tree décor! These dehydrated citrus ornaments are first on my list! I am stick with oranges, you can use any or all citrus to get a variety of color. The craft itself takes no time at all. You will have to reserve the dehydrating for a morning, afternoon or evening when you are home and the oven is free for 4hrs. Okay, let’s get into it!
DEHYDRATED CITRUS ORNAMENTS
This particular guide is for dehydrated navel oranges, each citrus takes a different amount of time to dehydrate in the oven, so I have put together a reference for you to follow if you decide to work with a different citrus fruit.
What you will need:
5-10 Naval Oranges (More Options: Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Cara Cara Oranges, Blood Oranges)
baking sheet with baking sheet rack
parchment paper optional
white string or yarn
scissors
tooth picks
Instructions - Dehydrating
Preheat the the oven to 200F (or 170F if your oven can go lower) and make sure to set to convection oven settings. Then, line a tray with parchment paper and set aside.
Use a mandolin (be so careful) or a very sharp knife to slice the citrus into slices no more than ¼" in width. If the slices are thicker, they will take longer to cook.
Place the citrus slices onto the parchment lined tray and bake anywhere from 3-6 hours depending on the size of the citrus. Lemons and Limes take the least amount of time followed by oranges and lastly grapefruit which will take the longest.
After about 2 hours of baking, flip the citrus so the side facing the parchment paper is now exposed. Also, rotate the tray so that the citrus that was closest to the glass is now in the back of the oven. Continue this process every 2 hours as needed.
Once the citrus has no more moisture and is brittle to the touch, remove from the oven and let cool completely.
TIP: See bottom of the page for various dehydrating time for the different fruits.
TIP: Do you have a dehydrator? Follow these same steps to make dried citrus in a dehydrator, but dehydrate for 6-8 hours at 135F.
Instructions - Dehydrated Citrus Ornaments
Cut sting/yarn approximately 5 inches long.
TIP: Count your citrus slices and cut all at once (saves you time). You can also wrap string/yarn around a 5in note book, then cut all the ends at the same time.
Push a toothpick through the citrus slice (closer to to skin), thread the string/yarn through, tie both ends together (double knotted)
Hang on your Christmas tree or share as gifts.
Instructions - Dehydrated Citrus Garland
Cut your string or yarn approximately 6ft long + 6inches
Push a toothpick through the citrus slices (closer to to skin) creating two holes opposing each other, loop and thread the long end of the string/yarn through one hole bringing string behind citrus slice, bring string around outside edge through second hole.
Measure the spacing approximately 6-8inches and repeat second step until you reach the end of the string.
TIP: Work with 6ft or 3ft lengths for easy you can always join them for a longer garland later.
drape on your Christmas tree or share as gifts with you loved ones
TIP: See bottom of the page for various dehydrating time for the different fruits AND other ways to get creative and use dehydrated for the holidays
While any citrus can be dehydrated, they all take different time to dry completely. Follow the below for the different types of Citrus.
Dried Lemons (2-3 hours)
Dried Limes (2-3 hours)
Dried Blood Oranges (3-4hours)
Dried Cara Cara Oranges (3-4 hours)
Dried Navel Oranges (3-4 hours)
Dried Grapefruit (5+ hours)
OTHER WAYS TO GET CREATIVE WITH DEHYDRATED CITRUS
There are SO many ways to use dried citrus, but here are a few I hope to try this holiday season:
As a cocktail garnish
Honey Mint Blood Orange Mocktail
As a dessert topping
Sicilian Orange Cake
Add dried citrus to for mulled cyder
Use to make a mulled cyder mix as a gift.
Let me know if you give it a try!
Love,
Jill Beans