Hedge Apples

Have you ever heard of such a thing? I hadn't! I was at my friend Nicole's house last week and she had these cool knobby green things in her centerpiece that were so neat. I asked her what they were, she said they were hedge apples and they they grow wild in the woods, her boys pick them up for her. I was fascinated!

Then yesterday I was driving in a country-type area and found a road lined with the trees and the ground covered in hedge apples! I pulled over and picked up a dozen or so of them. They're big, like softballs, and heavy. These were frozen solid, so they didn't have any smell until today when they finally thawed out. They smell citrusy and I love it.

I pulled out my Booma's (grandmother's) punch bowl (also a suggestion of Nicole's) and piled them in it. It is a big, cool centerpiece. I think it'll be perfect for Thanksgiving!

Check it out:

Osage Orange

If you were reading my blog last year you might remember when I discovered and fell in love with hedge apples. Well, it's that time again. I have been thinking for a couple of weeks that they were probably about ready, and this past week I had the opportunity to get some. I was so excited to bring them home and smell the delicious smell! I keep wondering if they can make a candle smell like them. I would burn it all the time. I collected enough to have three bowls of them in the house. The smell is just amazing, plus they're so neat!

Jeff posted a pic of one on his facebook and a friend commented that they're called osage oranges. Makes sense, since the smell is citrus-y. She said they can be used medicinally. I had never heard of osage oranges, but when I Googled it there they were! Amazing. Learn something new everyday. They will probably always be hedge apples to me though. :)