Take an orange,cloves and Hey Presto ..a Pomander

I have always been  fascinated by clothes/ costumes worn in past times and when in a museum I am drawn towards these. In art gallery, I like to look at the portraits and take note of the clothes, shoes and especially the hats,fans or jewellery. In the Tudor pictures pomanders often appear either on a chain or being carried . In Tudor times some people thought some illness were caused by bad air and they would carry pomanders to keep the smells away.  Some are more elaborate than others and a variety of fragrant fillings would be used inside them. Sweet smelling herbs,spices,dried flowers and cedar wood flakes were used to name a few.  A wooden pomander was found on the Mary Rose 1545.

Near Christmas I like to make  pomanders to scent the room , to hang on the tree and to put on the mantelpiece. I get an orange, mark it into four sections leaving a space for a ribbon. Then I make holes in the orange and put cloves into them. After I have added as many cloves as I want then I cover the orange with ground cloves and cinnamon. I leave the 'pomander' to dry or cure and add a ribbon after it has shrunk.  These Pomanders will fragrant the room throughout the Christmas season.

Here is another recipe for making a pomander from 1673. Not so easy to find the ingredients.

Like the idea of using damask rose leaves in the Third Sort but then it tells you to beat them! Think I will stick to oranges and cloves.

Of making Pomanders for Bracelets. 1673

I. The firſt sort. Take Orrice powder, Cloves, Mace, Cinnamon of each half an ounce, yellow Sanders, Styrax, ſweet Aſſa of each to drachms, Ambergrieſe, Musk of each one drachm, Balſam of Peru, oil of Rhodium of each one ſcruple, Civet two drachms, all being in fine powder (except the Balſam and Oil) mix together, and make into paſte with mucilage aforeſaid, of which form Beads, drying them in the ſhade for uſe.

II. The ſecond ſort. Take Storax Labdanum one drachm and a half, Benjamin one drachm, Cloves, Mace, Spicknard, Geranium Moſchatum of each ten grains, Musk, Ambergrieſe of each ſix grains; with mucilage make a Pomander for Bracelets.

III. The third ſort. Take Damask Roſe leaves exungulated two ounces, beat them impalpable: Musk, Ambergrieſe of each two ſruples, Civet one ſruple, Labdanum one drachm, with mucilage of gum Tragacanth, in Roſe-water aforeſaid, make a Pomander for Bracelets.

IV. The fourth ſort. Take Storax, Benjamin of each an ounce and a half, Musk two drachms, oil of Cinnamon one drachm, with Mucilage afroeſaid make a paſte of Pomander, very excellent.