Orange You Glad It’s Fall: 10 DIY Projects To Do With Citrus This Season

Orignially posted on CitrusSocial.com.

Orange You Glad It’s Fall

At Citrus Social, we love citrus – no surprise there. Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, and more are so often associated with the Summer months. But, we beg to differ. Citrus is always relevant year round.

Here are 10 things to do with citrus this Fall:

1. Concoct some delicious Apple Cider Sangria.

Here is a great recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

“Irresistible white wine sangria filled with fall’s best flavors like apple, cider, citrus, cinnamon, and pear.”

What you’ll need:

• Apple Cider (a great excuse to go apple picking and get some fresh apple cider on your way out!)
• Chopped up apples
• Orange slices (of course)
• Pear slices
• Pomegranate seeds
• Cinnamon
• Mild white wine (doesn’t need to be anything too fancy)
• Optional – splash of club soda before serving

The best part about sangria is the ease of making it ahead of time. All you have to do is combine these ingredients and let them marinate!

And, the longer you let all those fruits soak, the more alcohol they absorb, and the more the wine soaks up the fruit flavor.

This drink is truly meant to be enjoyed from beginning to end – from the tasty wine from the booze-soaked fruit you get to munch on at the bottom – it will quickly become a fall favorite.

2. DIY Citrus Potpourri.

Orange Spice Potpourri Recipe – from Adventures in All Things Food
What you’ll need:

• 2-3 Oranges
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Grapefruit
• 1 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 4 Star Anise, whole
• Optional: natural orange essence

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Slice the citrus as thin as your can. I found my ceramic knife works best, but any sharp knife will work. Place slices in a single layer on a towel. Press the fruit segments to release the juice, but try to keep the fruit segments in place. This will make a prettier presentation when dried.

Place the citrus slices in a single layer on the parchment. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 1 hour and then turn and check your fruit. They should be dried but not brown. This alone will make your house smell amazing!

When dried, arrange the citrus slices and other spices in your favorite dishes and place around the house. I like to put mine near a window where it will heat up. If you want a stronger scent, or it starts to fade, sprinkle with natural orange essence for a boost.

Directions from: Adventures in All Things Food

3. Bake Citrusy and Sweet Scones

Double the citrus – double the goodness. Here is a great recipe from Add A Pinch for citrus scones with an orange glaze. Yum. !0 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook – 30 minutes until you’re in citrus heaven.

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 8

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar + more for topping
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter + more for topping
• ¾ – 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Orange Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• coarse sugar for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a rimmed baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick baking sheet.

For the scones:

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter to the bowl and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of a pea and the flour mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in ¾ cup of heavy cream, lemon juice, and orange and lemon zests.. Press dough together between the palms of your hands. If it doesn’t just hold together, add more heavy cream until is just holds together.
2. Pour dough onto a lightly floured countertop or a pastry board. Pat dough into a large round disc, about an inch thick. Cut dough into equal sized wedges and place onto prepared baking sheet pan. Melt about 2 tablespoons butter and brush on top of dough.
3. Bake scones for 20-25 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn lightly brown. Remove from the oven.

Orange Glaze:

1. Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until smooth and then drizzle on top of each scone after it has cooled for a few five minutes. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

4. Simple Orange Peel Flowers.

This one is pretty simple, and extremely rewarding. Orange peel flowers can be used in so many ways throughout your home. From centerpieces, small table decorations, or daily decor around your home, you will find many uses for these citrus accents.

Use a sharp knife and start with a spiral at the top. Slowly, and carefully, work your way down in a spiral keeping the peel in one piece. Once you have peeled the orange you have the peel to tightly arrange as a flower – and an orange to eat!

5. Cider and Citrus Turkey Brine for Thanksgiving Day!

It may seem like Fall just hit, but it’s never too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving. We love this recipe for Apple Cider and Citrus Turkey Brine with Herbs from Wicked Good Kitchen.

With this recipe, Wicked Good Kitchen includes a step-by-step tutorial on brining a turkey – for those who may be more cooking-challenged. If this is your first time preparing the Thanksgiving turkey, keep this resource in mind!

What we love: Wicked Good Kitchen used inspiration from Williams-Sonoma’s Apple & Spices Turkey Brine Mix and added her own citrus fling!

Note: this recipe is pretty long – so we’d love for you to go to Wicked Good Kitchen to check it out!

6. Dried Citrus to add to any decor.

Dried citrus fruits are a great addition to any home.

Dried citrus fruits make for great natural decor, pairing perfectly with the autumn season!

Here is a “recipe” from Rainy Day Mum for an extremely easy way to dry fruits!

What you’ll need:

• Oranges or lemons – depending on your preference!
• Cutting board
• Knife (can use a kid friendly knife if they want to jump in on the activities)
• Oven
• Baking tray
• Wax paper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to around 165°
2. Slice your chosen citrus into thin slices
3. Line a sheet covered in wax or baking paper with the fruit slices laid flat
4. Put the sheet(s) into the oven for an hour
5. Flip the slices after one hour, then bake for another hour

Note: you may have to adjust the time depending on your oven or thickness of your slices. Once done, you can use the orange slices in so many ways! Bathroom decorations, additions to a centerpiece – you name it!

7. Citrus Print Painting – great for kids!

This is one the kids will LOVE! This is something easy and fun for you to do with kids this Fall. It’s an interactive project that involves citrus – what could be better?! This one is from Rhythms of Play.

What you’ll need:

• Lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange – let the kids pick their favorites!
• Knife to cut the fruits with
• Paper
• Paint – this is a great opportunity to pick some great autumn colors
• Paper bowls for easy paint access

Directions:

1. When it’s time to prep the fruit, you have a couple options. We recommend cutting the fruits in half and gently squeezing out the juices, making for a slightly less messy process. It will show more intricate definition of the fruit. You can also scoop out the juiciest fruit using a paring knife, leaving the structure of the citrus behind for printing.
2. You can either dip the fruits into paint or let your kids paint right onto them.
3. Then, you are ready to print away!

We love getting the kids involved with citrus and Fall activities, and they definitely love it too!

8. Homemade Candles in Orange Rinds

These candles are just another way to bring nature into your home and onto your table. Oranges perfectly capture the beautiful colors of Fall!

Directions from GardenMatter.com.

What you’ll need:

• Orange rinds
• Candle wax – 2oz. per candle
• Candle wicks
• Straws (to hold the wicks)
• 1 tbsp. essential oils

Directions:

1. Slice the oranges in half and carefully peel the rind away (in one piece)
2. Melt the wax – you can use the microwave
3. Let the wax cool for 1 minute, then mix in the essential oils
4. Stir well
5. Pour the wax into the empty rinds and use the straw to hold the wick in place by cutting a small slit in it
6. Once the wax hardens, remove the straw and cut the wick down to desired height

Directions from GardenMatter.com.

9. Honey Citrus Sugar Scrub – so good you’ll want to eat it.

This recipe for Honey Citrus Sugar Scrub is one of our favorites! The best part about it, it’s so easy to make that you can make it for all of your friends too! It’s a great gift idea. Shoutout to Lovesome for the recipe and inspiration!

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup granulated or raw sugar
• 1 tsp. pure honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. fresh citrus zest

Directions:

1. Mix together the honey and olive oil
2. Stir honey and oil mixture into the sugar
3. Add the citrus zest
4. Ready to use and store in an air tight container

Note: you can add in more olive oil if needed! You can base it off of feel.

10. Craft Citrus themed centerpieces.

Combine #4, #6, and #8 for the perfectly citrus centerpiece! At Citrus – we pair our centerpieces with our favorite agendas