4 Homemade Edible Holiday Ornaments

4 Homemade Edible Holiday Ornaments Image via http://rodalesorganiclife.com Even if you don’t celebrate any holiday, decorating can be a nostalgic way to commemorate the past year of your life and to usher in an exciting new era! Regardless of your preferences or beliefs in regards to holiday decorations, there is no denying that decorating during any time of the year is a fun and creative outlet. This is why I absolutely love making my own decorations. I urge you to ditch the plastic store bought ornaments and to opt for something homemade. When I say homemade, I literally mean made at home in your very own kitchen. Yes, natural and food based decorations not only look adorable and festive, but rather than being stored in a box in your attic you can consume these knick-knacks when they’re done being seen! You can make everything from edible gingerbread people to painted eggshells or even dried fruit. The goal is to be creative and to create unique pieces that hold meaning for you simply because you took the time to craft them with loved ones or even on your own. It also doesn’t hurt when you can eat some of these pretty pieces too! Edible Ornaments Image via http://cdn1.tmbi.com Cookies, walnuts, popcorn balls, or even plain whole fruits are the easiest edible ornaments to create. The next time that you’re cooking up a batch of holiday cookies, add a dozen or so extra for decorating. Brushing cookies with egg glaze before baking makes them shiny and festive. Tie a piece of twine around the stem of an apple. When youre making popcorn balls, insert a piece of string into your handful of popcorn mix before you mold it into a ball shape. You can even insert a string of dried red peppers and garlic together with a needle and thread, and use star anise or cinnamon sticks in creative ways. Apple and Starfruit Stars Image via http://rodalesorganiclife.com You can cut an apple  in half horizontally and immediately see that the five seed cavities in the center form kind of a star shape. Cut each half into thin rounds, about ¼ inch or a little less, and dry those on parchment paper in a very cool oven set on 150 degrees or even in a dry room for about 10 hours. Once dried, use a needle to thread a string or piece of ribbon through the edge of each slice. You can do the same thing with starfruit, which naturally slice into the shape of a star. Slice those to expose their star-shaped outline, dry them as you would the apple slices, and string them up. After the holidays you can eat your apple and starfruit slices, chop them up into cereal, or even soak them in water (or liquor) to bake into treats. Fruit Reflectors Image via http://rodalesorganiclife.com Dried orange, grapefruit,  lemon,  and lime slices are gorgeous decorations because their flesh becomes reflective and translucent as it dries. Create ¼-inch horizontal slices through the fruit and dry your rounds as you would the aforementioned apple slices. For variety, stud the peel with whole cloves first, and cut your slices a little thicker. Thread a string through one edge of each round and hang. Once the holidays are over, eat the slices, use them to flavor dishes, add them to baked goods, cook them with a bit of honey to make marmalade, or just simmer them on the stove to release their fresh scent. Citrus Skin Shapes Image via https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com Citrus fruit skins dry nicely and are easy to cut into festive shapes. Tangerine or clementine skins are especially easy to work with. Cut your fruits in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon (save the pulp for cooking or another useful holiday purpose). Use scissors to make evenly spaced cuts from the rim down toward the bottom. Carefully flatten the cut peel, and use your scissors to shape the sections into points of a star, flower petals, or anything else you like. Thread some string through one of your sections, and then dry the peel. Spread a few layers of newspaper on a flat surface, arrange your peels on that, cover them with more newspaper, and then stack magazines or books on the top to keep the peels flat. Theyre ready to use for decoration as soon as they are stiff (usually in a few days to a week).