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Seasonal Crafts: Apple Heads

Make This Festive Fall Craft!

Catherine Boeckmann
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During autumn, apples are a plenty in the orchard! Try out this fun fall craft to celebrate the season! The art of making apple heads is easy and fun! (And maybe a little creepy, too.) Follow these easy instructions for a creative fall craft.

How to Make an Apple Head

This fall craft is perfect for September or October—just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving!

  1. The apple will shrink, so start by choosing a large, firm one. We like Granny Smith apples for their firmness. 
     
  2. Peel the apple first. (You can leave a little skin on the top.) 
     
  3. Then, with a sharp knife, form the nose, make eye sockets, and cut a line for the mouth. You can “sketch” lightly first.
     
  4. Carve around the mouth to accentuate the cheeks, and make some lines around the eyes and on the forehead. Try to make the features super exaggerated because the apple will shrivel up.
     
  5. Soak the head in lemon juice for about 1/2 hour (so it doesn’t turn brown) before hanging it to dry.
     
  6. To dry in a warm climate, you could stake them on a skewer, but it will take a few days which might encourage mold. The fastest way to dry is to simply put them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and set in the oven on low heat (175°F). Keep an eye on them. A food dehydrator is another option. 
     
  7. When the head is almost dry, add peppercorn or bean eyes. Or raisins or cloves!  Use your imagination to make some hair and a body to go with the head.

Have you ever made an apple head? Tell us all about it!

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Seasonal Crafts
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Dina (not verified)

5 months 3 weeks ago

I'm 62 yrs young ( will be 63 in 2months) I remember making appleheads in 3rd grade. Every Friday our teacher had art day & we loved it. We made our appleheads before Halloween so they were ready near that day. We inserted sticks in them so she could hang them to dry. When we took them home right before Halloween my mom sewed up a dress for mine & a scarf for it's head. It looked like a old gypsy lady ! I inserted my hand up the dress & held the stick we inserted on carving day and it was like a puppet. My mom liked it so much that my brothers & I & our mother made some more carved appleheads together. 💗

sheryl blackburn (not verified)

1 year 9 months ago

I love that you do appleheads. I do too. I did it 50 years ago and have just recently restarted. Funny, before I was in washington state and it took forever to dry them. Here in arizona I put a fan on them and they are mostly dry in one week. Do you know of others who do this craft too? I would like to figure out how to market them and learn from others. Perhaps they would also learn from me. I carve the whole face, eyebrows, hair etc. I hope you will email me if you can figure a way we can start a club or some such thing. Thanks. Sheryl

Timothy F. (not verified)

1 year 5 months ago

Sheryl, I started carving apples apx. 30 years ago. I 've gone about it many ways and find a 45-60 day curing/sculpting process to provide best results. i also live in the desertand sometimes use a humidifier to slow things down.
If you look on instagram at Apeelingapples there are a couple of pictures.

Sharon Abbott (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

I loved all of the fall information and projects to do fall is my favorite tome of year.

Marty Lawler (not verified)

6 years 5 months ago

Thank you. I always learn so much from you. And the poems and images that go with them calm me. I like the newsletter.