Holiday Garland
Are you wanting an old-fashioned Christmas? Why not take a trip back to simpler times and string some cranberries and popcorn for your Christmas tree.
Materials:
- Popcorn
- Cranberries
- Needle
- Waxed dental floss, fishing line, button thread or string
- Apple and orange slices - optional
For an old-fashioned Christmas look why not string some cranberries and popcorn for your Christmas tree. It is best to make your popcorn in an air popper if you have one so it won't be oily. Dental floss is a good choice for the string as it is strong and the popcorn and cranberries will slide on it nicely. The needle you choose should not be too short as you need it to fit through the popcorn and not so thick that it splits the popcorn.
Simply, thread a needle with the floss or string. Knot one end and start sliding the needle through the popcorn and cranberries alternately. When your string is full or it reaches your desired length, knot the end of the string or floss and cut the needle off. You can make several strands to fill your tree.
Variation: Dry out some apple and orange slices and add them to your garland. To dry out the apples,
- Cut the apples into slices.
- Soak them in two cups of lemon juice with 3 tablespoons of salt for 15-20 minutes then remove them from the liquid.
- Spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 150 degrees for 6-8 hours turning over half way through cooking time.
To dry out the oranges slices follow the directions for the apples omitting step 2.
Ideas:
- After the holidays, when you are done with your garland, instead of throwing it away why not hang it on a tree in the yard for the birds to enjoy.
- Make a garland of only popcorn and store it in an airtight plastic storage container to be used year after year. This should only be done if you make the popcorn in an air popper - NOT if you make it with oil.