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An apple garland is really easy to make. You can make it any length you wish, and it makes your house smell good in the process - and magical apples are everywhere by the time Fet Ghede rolls around. You'll need several large apples of any color, lemon juice, dried bay leaves, scraps of fabric, some pine cones, cinnamon sticks, raffia, and florist's wire.
Start by peeling and coring the apples, and then slicing them horizontally into circles about 3/8" thick. Fill a bowl with the lemon juice, and place your apple slices in it. Allow them to soak for about ten minutes - this prevents them from turning brown and discolored. Remove the apple slices from the bowl and pat them dry with a paper towel. Bake your apples for about six hours at 200 degrees. If you like, before baking you can dust them with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Once your apples are completely dried out, the fun really begins. Using the florist's wire, begin stringing the apples. The wire should go straight through the apples, but if you have trouble, make a hole with a toothpick. Between every few apple slices, string some bay, and add a pine cone here and there. You can also alternate the apples and bay leaves with bows made from your fabric scraps.
Make your garland as long or as short as you like - or until your kids get bored - and then knot each end around a cinnamon stick. Tie a piece of raffia around the ends as well, and then drape your garland on your wall, across your mantel, or over your front door.
Another variation on the apple garland is to make a smaller length and then bend it into a circle, forming an apple wreath. Tie a piece of fabric - or bend a leftover bit of florist's wire - to the top so you can hang it on a nail or hook.
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