Easy and Fragrant Orange-Clove Pomanders
Here’s how to make pomander balls, which are simply oranges pierced by cloves. As the fruit dries, it releases a lovely fragrance. Orange pomanders make beautiful Christmas gifts, ornaments, and air fresheners.
Pomander Ball History
Medieval herbalists used pomanders—mixtures of fragrant, dried herbs in cloth bags or perforated boxes—to ward off illness or bring strength and good fortune.
The term “pomander” comes from the French phrase pomme d’ambren, which translates to “apple of amber.” This is because of the object’s round shape and the addition of ambergris, an aged substance from the bile duct of a sperm whale that is sometimes included. During the Black Death in Europe, people used highly fragrant pomanders of ambergris to try to mask and purify the “bad air,” but this proved ineffective.
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Nowadays, pomander balls are simpler—usually, an orange (like a navel orange or a blood orange) or citrus fruit studded with cloves and dusted with spices. See our recipe below!
How to Make Orange Pomander Balls
- Take firm oranges and stud them with whole cloves. That’s it!
- You can use a toothpick to create premade holes, which is helpful for children as poking holes with cloves can be painful for their little hands (and ours).
- Be creative and arrange the cloves in diamonds, circles, or other patterns. As the orange dries, it will release a delicate, spicy fragrance.
- For a more robust aroma, cover the entire orange with cloves and then roll it in a mixture of spices. Leave the orange in the mix for a week, turning once daily. We recommend using spices such as:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1/4 cup powdered orris root
- To hang your pomander, run a long wire through the orange; make a knot at the bottom and a loop at the top for hanging. Or you can tie a red ribbon around your pomander for a festive look!
How to Make Pomanders Last
To make your pomanders last, store them in a paper bag for a few weeks. Use a lot of cloves, which are a natural preserving agent. The cloves will draw out the juices and shrink in size. Dusting with cinnamon helps, too, as cinnamon functions as an antifungal.
Ideas for Using Orange Pomanders
- Arrange the cloves in unique shapes and patterns. For Halloween, make a jack-o’-lantern; for Thanksgiving, try a turkey; for Christmas, a Christmas tree!
- Create a centerpiece for your next holiday meal.
- Give to friends, teachers, and neighbors in a plastic bag with a red ribbon!
- Try putting an orange pomander at the bottom of your Christmas stockings.
- Use small oranges (or other small citrus) to create a fragrant ornament for the Christmas tree.
- Once dried, hang pomanders in your closet or add to your bureau drawers like a sachet.
If you have cinnamon left, try making these Cinnamon Ornaments.
Want more fresh scents in your home? Check out our Old Rose and Lavender Potpourri or learn How to Make Lavender Sachets. See all of our Seasonal Crafts!
Let us know how your pomanders turn out!
Catherine Boeckmann
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The directions don't explain how to make the pomanders in the picture. How are the furrows made?
Some citrus zester tools have a channel knife on them.
My grandma taught me how to make pomanders when I was little - we always put them in a paper bag with Orris Root powder and Cinnamon to dry them out...Orris Root is quite fragrant. I made one with my daughter about 12 years ago...it hangs in my sewing room and still smells lovely.
I want to make one! I have never heard of them I've seen one before and had no idea what it was❤ the instructions aren't very clear.
I want to make one! I have never heard of them I've seen one before and had no idea what it was❤ the instructions aren't very clear.
I made these and the cloves bled under the skin of the orange, causing brown discoloration. I used clementines. What went wrong?
Hi, Sharon. the problem may have occurred because you used clementines. They are not as firm as oranges. Think about how much easier a clementine is to peel than an orange.
My Mother in law made and gave one in the nineteen seventies which I had hanging in my wardrobe up until recently well 2019 and it was just wonderful And I never got moths or such like get into my clothes & fabrics.
Over the weekend I am going to make for daughters and granddaughters who have been having trouble with I believe which seem to bad at the moment. Looks and smells great too and was a nice reminder of a lovely lady when I opened the door.
Covering a medium orange entirely with cloves can make a fabulous Pomander ball. Years ago I worked on an orange with some whole cloves. It took lots of cloves to entirely cover the orange. I inserted them as close to each other as possible. Using a thimble is a good idea and I used nice looking whole cloves. I set the orange in a small cardboard box with some paper towels scrunched around it and actually forgot about it. About six months later I found it again.
WOW it smelled so wonderful. I put the orange in a small organdy sachet bag and then into the back of my linen closet. Twenty years later when I moved I found it again and it still smelled fabulous. It was totally hard and dry. I still use it in my sewing basket and it is in perfect condition. So have fun and the work to make one is worth it.
I LOVE these things! I 1st made them at a friends birthday party to give to our parents. It held up amazingly and it hung in their closet for a LONG time. When I tried to make them later in life to give with Christmas gifts I was never successful as they'd wind up getting moldy. Wonder what I did wrong? I want to get it right because I do love them. What's more festive than the scent of orange & clove around the holidays? Plus, they look festive too and are cheap to make with easy to find ingredients. I love the idea of having them in a bowl, would be a great centerpiece for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I always did the red ribbon to hang.
