Halloween Shrunken Heads

 

Shrunken heads will add that extra little something to any Halloween gathering.  A friend took inspiration from Allison DiNatale's idea and did this fun, kid-friendly project for a recent party.

Start with Granny Smith apples, lemon juice & salt.  Peel the apples and cut them in half, removing seeds.  Carve eyes, nose and mouth on the rounded side of each apple, then float in a liquid mixture of 2 cups lemon juice and 2 tablespoons salt.  This keeps the apples from turning brown. 

You might end up with some prune-y fingers that look a little like shrunken parts yourself.

Place the apple faces on a baking sheet in a low heat oven (250 degrees) for 90 minutes, or so.  This dries them out, without burning.

 Press some cloves into the "eye sockets" to give them a little extra expressiveness.

And float them in your favorite cider brew to add extra flavor and flair to your Halloween party.

Perfect!