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Re: TT: osage orange

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 Today's posting is late because it was inadvertantly misplaced in
 TreeTown's labyrinthine mailroom.  Our apologies - Richardf@Flora.Com
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 Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:41:16 -0800 (PST)
 From: "Susan L. Collicott" <camel@serv.net>
 To: Tom Kimmerer <tkimmer@pop.uky.edu>
 cc: Community_Forestry <TreeTown@Majordomo.Flora.Com>
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 On Wed, 31 Dec 1997, Tom Kimmerer wrote:

> Now to Susan's delightful comments. While many of us are quite familiar with
> the use of Osage-orange fruit as weapons in sibling battles, I am very
> intrigued by your comment about Christmas ornaments made of baked
> Osage-orange fruits.  Can you elaborate for us?  This was a lousy year for
> Osage-orange and many other fruits in Kentucky, but we can file it away for
> next year.

Tom - it's been quite a while since I was in Osage country (don't have
them here in Seattle!), but I believe you slice them horizontally - like a
grapefruit, not up and down like an apple - and you continue slicing thin
slices. Lay these on a baking sheet, bake at a low temperature for a long
time.  When dried, tie a ribbon on it and hang!  You can spray paint them,
glitter them, 'snow' them with artificial snow, add holly sprays and
berries and small pine/cedar bunches to them.  One favorite ornament was a
slice that was gilded, snow'd, and then had small "mushroom bird"
chickadees perched on the bottom curve.

When sliced in different directions, you get different designs.  I believe
we experimented one year by doing diagonal cuts, and then horizontal off
the diagonal.  What fun!

They don't have a pleasant smell while baking, if I recall.  Keep the
windows open for a bit!

Susan


        Susan Collicott play:camel@serv.net work:susan@nwnet.net
If you were dirt upon a road, in sultry summer weather, I'd be a cloud
             and rain on you, and we'd make mud together.


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