How to Preserve Hedge Apples for Display

Hedge apples are the fruit of the Osage orange tree. This hardwood tree produces the oddly shaped fruit during the late summer and early fall months. Hedge apples are great centerpieces for harvest and Thanksgiving displays and will keep their color for months if properly preserved. Hedge apple displays make wonderful gifts for visiting friends and families over the American holiday season and can brighten a dining or living room as the days become shorter.

Things You'll Need

• Hedge apples
• Twine or small string
• Warm, dark room

Instructions

1. Pick the hedge apples with the stem intact just before the peak of their ripeness. The skin should be slightly soft to the touch and still very green in color.

2. Tie a piece of twine or string to the stem of each hedge apple. This enables the apples to dry as they hang without gaining bruises from sitting on a shelf or in a container.

3. Hang the apples from a shelf or other ledge. Do not allow the apples to touch. They may brown if they are in contact with each other or other objects as they dry.

4. Leave the apples for one to three weeks while they dry. Try to disturb the hedge apples as little as possible so that they keep their color.

5. Remove the apples and use them for your displays and harvest festival gifts.

Tips & Warnings

• Hedge apples may also be dried in a hot oven for quick results, but they will turn from vibrant green to brown when this method is used.

References

• HedgeApple.com, Hedge Apple Information
• WVU.edu Fruit and Flower Preservation Publication