Orange You Glad It’s December?

‘Tis the season for citrus fruit. Get into the holiday spirit by making delicious scones, scented play dough, pretty decorations, and more.

If the holidays could be boiled down to a smell, to me, it would be citrus. Though Santa didn’t leave an orange in the toe of my childhood stocking, as he did in The Velveteen Rabbit, we received a crate of fresh-picked oranges from Sunshine State relatives every December that would last us months. My mother made the most of them, stacking them in bowls and chunking them into fruit salads through the winter.

It’s a good time to celebrate citrus, as it’s one of the only families of fruit that peaks as the weather turns cold. While these fruits aren’t exactly local for us here in Massachusetts, they are seasonal, and hence my top picks of the produce aisle this time of year. While grocery stores carry oranges, clementines, grapefruits, and of course lemons and limes, some specialty markets carry their more exotic cousins, like kumquats, blood oranges, and Meyer lemons, which are fun flavors to experiment with in cooking. Finally, citrus fruits are packed not only with immune-boosting vitamin C —you can get 93% of your daily recommended intake in a single orange— but also fiber and the heart-healthy phytonutrient herperidin, found mostly in the pith and zest of the fruit. As research tells us that it’s better to get our vitamins from the market than the drug store, you can’t go wrong with stocking up on as many orange and yellow globes as you can this season.

In case you’re wondering what to do with all that luscious fruit, I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes and crafts, here. Have more? Please share!

For Holiday Breakfasts and Brunches…make Orange-Cranberry Scones.

This is one of those recipes where the impressiveness-to-ease ratio is rewardingly high. Scones are simpler than you might think to make, and yet feel like more of a special treat than quick breads and muffins. This recipe is my baking-queen sister Julie’s, and a highlight of a festive breakfast, brunch or afternoon get together. Make a double batch and freeze by the handful into gallon-size plastic bags. That way you can pull them out and defrost them whenever the occasion calls for it.
I like these scones with cranberries and so does my eldest, but I have another child who likes them with just the orange flavoring and another who likes them with chocolate chips. You can split the dough in half and fold individual favorites (or nothing at all) into the two orange-zested sections.

For weekend crafting…make Pomanders and Orange Slice Ornaments.

So smitten am I by oranges that when we were tasked with doing a “how-to” presentation in fourth grade, I taught my nine-year-old peers how to make pomanders. Traditionally, these are oranges and lemons studded with cloves, rolled in spices, and left to rest in a cool place for a week or two, after which they’re dried out (i.e., you don’t have to worry about mold), but still smell delicious. You can hang them on the tree or from satin ribbon in a doorway. I leave out the spice part, because it’s a messy step that I think takes away from the pretty look of the decorated fruit. You can display them “fresh” (they’ll last for a week or two) or dry them for a week or so (they’ll last through the month).
What you need:
An assortment of oranges or lemons
One quarter-cup of whole cloves
Toothpicks
Stain ribbon, push pins, and strong glue (if hanging from a tree)
How to make:
Think of a design for the cloves on your pomander—you can make polka-dots throughout, lengthwise stripes, spirals, or cover the whole thing. Use a toothpick to push small holes just into the surface of the orange or fruit according to your design. Push cloves into holes. Arrange in a bowl, or if you want to hang on the tree, put a dab of strong glue on the top of the fruit and secure a loop of ribbon to top with a pin. Store finished pomanders in a cool, dry place for a week or two. (Check on them every so often; they shrink, so you might have to push cloves in farther). 

Orange slice ornaments are even easier to make. Basically, you slice oranges, cook them at a low temperature, and hang them from satin ribbon. They look like stained glass, hanging from an evergreen bough.
What you need:
2-3 oranges
Satin ribbon (1/4-1/2 inch is best)
Paring knife

How to make (start in morning!):
Preheat oven to 150. Slice oranges into 1/2 inch thick pinwheels. Arrange on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet and cook for 4-5 hours. Rounds will still have a little moisture when you take them out of the oven, but will keep drying out. Once rounds cool, make a tiny slit between juicy part and rind, and thread ribbon through it, tying in a bow or knot. Hang from a lit tree or sunny window to catch the light.

To make salads more special…add clementine sections.

One of my a-ha moments as a newish mom was discovering that a little fruit can go a long way to making everyday dinner staples more palatable and exciting to kids. A quick and easy way to get my kids to eat their greens is adding clementine sections to a simple salad. Whisk a tablespoon or two of olive or Canola oil and a half-teaspoon of salt into the juice squeezed from a fresh orange or lemon for dressing, and drizzle it over the salad.

For toddler fun…make Orange-Scented Play Dough.

I never figured myself for a homemade-play-dough sort of mom until I tried making it, and realized it’s so easy and such a nicer texture than the store-bought stuff. You can also add scents, through spices and oils, which makes it fun for kids to pretend they are rolling out “cookies” with their freshly made play dough. I’ve made this dough with orange extract, which you can buy at the supermarket or here (it never spoils and is great for use in cakes and breads). You could also use orange oil, here, which can also be added to a handful of drug store Epsom salts for a spa-like bath (which you might welcome after a day of holiday crafting).
What you need:
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
Red and yellow (or orange) food color
How to make:
Stir water, flour, salt and cream of tartar in saucepan over medium heat with spatula or large spoon. Keep stirring, pulling away from sides of pan. Add food color until you reach desired color, continually stirring, until mixture is Play doh consistency. Let cool and form into a ball. Store in airtight container for a week or two.

For a special treat…make Lemons with Candy Cane Straws.

My pals who grew up going to Pennsylvania’s Devon Horse Show with me can back me on this: One of the most exciting and least revolting fair foods you can give a child is a lemon pierced with an old-fashioned candy stick. When you suck hard enough, the lemon juice starts to flow through tiny holes in the candy stick, and the result is like the best lemonade you’ve ever had. Try these out with minty or fruit-flavored candy canes at your next playdate or holiday gathering…kids go crazy for them.
What you need:
Lemons
Candy canes or sticks (any flavor, and slightly thicker are best)
A paring knife
A corkscrew or pastry tip
How to make:
Break candy sticks into 3-4 inch pieces. Poke a hole into the side of a lemon with your knife (make sure you, not your kids, do this), and then expand the hole a bit with a corkscrew or pastry tip. Put candy stick in. Kids may have to suck for a minute or so before the juice flows through the stick.