How to Make an Autumn Apple Garland

You can use your apple garland as a garland or loop it in a circle to form a wreath.

Garlands are a wonderful way to decorate a mantle, staircase or even the center of a table or buffet. You can make garlands out of many natural items that you can find outside or in your own yard that will smell wonderful and bring the outdoor beauty of autumn indoors. Apples make wonderful fall garlands because they smell delicious and are easy to spice and dry.

Things You'll Need

• Yarn needle
• Red apples
• Green apples
• Yellow apples
• Cranberries (optional)
• Sharp knife
• Lemon juice
• Large bowl
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Floral wire
• Cookie sheet
• Red ribbon
• Scissors
• Peeler
• Paper towels

Instructions

1. Core and peel the apples. You can use a knife or an apple corer and peeler for this. You do not need to save these parts of the apple.

2. Slice the apples in thin slices. They should be about 3/8" thick. Slice horizontally so that each slice has a hole where the core used to be.

3. Soak the apple slices in a bowl of lemon juice for ten minutes. This will prevent them from becoming brown and discolored. Make sure that they are entirely submerged in the juice.

4. Pat the slices dry with a paper towel. It is okay if they still have a little juice left on them.

5. Spread the slices evenly over a cookie sheet. They can overlap slightly, but make sure that their surfaces will be exposed to the heat of the oven. Depending on how long you want your garland to be, you may need more than one cookie sheet.

6. Dust the apples with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg. This will make them smell wonderful even after they are dried. You can add other spices that you like if you wish.

7. Bake the slices for about 6 hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. When the apples are completely dried, remove them from the oven.

8. 

   String the apple slices and cranberries onto the floral wire. If you have trouble getting the wire through the berries or the apple slices, use a yarn needle to poke a hole in the fruit. You should string several apple slices of various colors for each cranberry that you add. Make the string as long as you like. The more fruit you use, the longer your garland will be. If you wish to make a loop and use the garland as a wreath, then you should make a shorter string.

9. 

   Tie a large red bow on each end of the garland. This will cover the bare ends of the wire and keep the fruits from sliding off. If you wish, you can tie bows periodically along the garland.

10. Use your garland to decorate a mantle, door frame, stairway or porch railing. It will make your home feel fall-festive and also bring the delicious aroma of cinnamon apples to every room.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wish to use your apple garland for more than one season, you may need to buy some preservative to prevent hungry critters from invading your storage space to nibble on it.