How to Preserve Osage Oranges
Decorate a house with preserved Osage oranges left whole or cut into slices. The Osage orange, also called a hedge apple, is the fruit of a sturdy shrub. Osage oranges are rumored to work as a pest control agent. Although useful pest repelling extracts have been harvested from the hedge apple, no scientific proof has come forward to support claims of success with the fruit itself. Keep Osage oranges around far beyond the harvest season through careful preservation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Whole
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Cut the stem of the Osage orange to harvest it from the tree before it is fully ripe. Rip fruits often fall from the hedge and have bruised spots.
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Wrap twine around the circumference of the hedge apple. Turn the fruit and wrap a second line of twine around a circumference perpendicular to the first. Tie a knot in the twine where the two circles of twine meet.
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Hang the twine-wrapped orange from the rafters or ceiling of an attic or other warm room. In about 30 days, the Osage orange will dry completely while retaining its green color.
Sliced
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Cut the stem of the Osage orange to harvest it from the tree before it is fully ripe. Preheat the oven to 150 F.
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Slice the Osage orange into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a pizza screen or other perforated baking sheet. Slide the sheet onto the center rack of the preheated oven.
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Turn on the convection fan if the oven has one. Crack the oven door slightly during the drying process to increase the ventilation, if the oven has no internal fan. Remove the slices to wire cooling racks when they are lightly browned and crisp.
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Tips & Warnings
Store whole or sliced Osage oranges in airtight glass or plastic containers after they have been preserved through drying. The dry fruits absorb moisture from their environment and decay quickly if they are not properly stored.
