Crazy for Cranberries
By Cheri Sicard

Long before the Pilgrims arrived in to America in 1620, native Americans were mixing mashed cranberries with deer meat to make pemmican -- a convenience food that kept for long periods of time. Cranberries were also used for medicinal purposes and their juice was a natural dye for rugs, blankets and clothing.

The cranberry is one of only a handful of fruits native to North America - the Concord grape and blueberry being the others. As documented by the Pilgrims, cranberries were found in abundance in Massachusetts in 1620 and rumor has it that they may have been served at the first Thanksgiving dinner, although we have no way of knowing for sure. Written recipes using cranberries date back to the 1700s and the first recorded cranberry crop in history dates back to 1816 in Dennis, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Cranberries soon cemented their place in New England life by serving as a vital source of vitamin C for whalers and a valuable natural resource to residents. 

While the Pilgrims may have been the first westerners to use the berry it was Dutch and German settlers who gave it its name, calling the tart fruit "crane berries" because of the resemblance of the blooming cranberry flowers to the head and bill of a crane.


The hearty cranberry vine thrives in conditions that would not support most other crops: acid soil, few nutrients and low temperatures, even in summer. Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water, but in sandy bogs or marshes. Because berries float, some bogs are flooded when the fruit is ready for harvesting, giving the illusion that the fruit grows in water. Growers then use water-reel harvesting machines to loosen the cranberries from their vine. They are then corralled onto conveyer belts and into waiting trucks, which take them to receiving stations and eventually processing plants.

About 10 percent of the cranberries grown in Massachusetts are dry harvested and sold as fresh fruit. To dry harvest, growers use mechanical pickers with comb-shaped conveyer belts that pick the berries and carry them to attached burlap bags. These bags are emptied into bins and delivered to fresh fruit receiving stations where they are graded and screened based on color and the ability to bounce -- soft berries do not bounce.

Cranberries are primarily grown in five states -- Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. Another 5,500 acres are cultivated in Chile, Quebec, and British Columbia. There are nearly 1,000 cranberry growers in America. Normally, growers do not have to replant since an undamaged cranberry vine will survive indefinitely. Some vines on Cape Cod are more than 150 years old.

Cranberry Tips

* Look for bright, plump cranberries, avoid soft, crushed, or shriveled berries. 
* Peak Season is September through December
* Fresh cranberries will keep in the refrigerator for 4-8 weeks.
* You can freeze fresh cranberries for longer storage.
* You can substitute frozen cranberries in most recipes calling for fresh.
* Do not wash cranberries until ready for use, as moisture will cause quicker spoilage.
* When a recipe says "cook until the cranberries pop," don't expect popcorn. This simply mean the berry's outer skin will expand until it bursts.

Cranberry Recipes

Cranberry Marble Cheesecake 

1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries
3/4 C water
1/3 C sugar

1 ¼ C sugar 
2 lbs. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 pint sour cream, at room temp

Crust:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter 

Serves 8-10

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix cinnamon and crushed graham crackers together. Add melted butter and mix until well blended. Using fingers, press crust mixture into bottom and 2/3 of the way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake crust for about 6 minutes until set. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop and the mixture reduces to 1-1/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/3 cup sugar until dissolved. Pour the mixture through a coarse sieve to strain and let the puree cool completely. 

Reduce oven temperature to 300 F degrees. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 ¼ cup sugar and the vanilla at until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until just blended. Stir in the sour cream. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Drop 8-10 rounded teaspoons of the cranberry puree (about 1/3 of the puree) randomly over the batter. Spoon half of the remaining batter evenly over the first layer and dot with half of the remaining puree. Repeat with the remaining batter and puree. Try to space out the puree so one layer is not directly on top of the puree in another. Take a blunt knife and gently swirl it through the batter to distribute the cranberry puree, taking care not to disturb the crust.

Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake in the lower part of the oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in for 1 hour longer, without opening the door. Transfer the cake to a rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill overnight before serving. 

Fruit and Turkey Salad with Cranberry Dressing

2 C cooked turkey, cubed
1 small head lettuce, torn into pieces
1 large red apple, cored and cut into small pieces
1 orange peeled and segmented (or use a small can of mandarin oranges)
1/4 C raisins or dried cranberries
3 tablespoons walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced 

Dressing:
1 C jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

In a medium bowl, combine turkey, apple pieces, raisins or cranberries, orange and walnuts. In a small bowl, mix cranberry sauce and orange juice concentrate. 

Arrange lettuce leaves among four plates. Just before serving gently toss turkey mixture with dressing top each plate with one cup salad mixture. Garnish with kiwi slices.

Classic Cranberry Sauce 

3/4 C water
1/2 C sugar
2 1/2 C cranberries
1 T brandy
1 T orange juice

1 tsp. grated orange zest

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir in sugar until dissolved, then add the cranberries and bring to the boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the berries begin to pop. Remove from heat and stir in the brandy. Chill until serving time.

Dried Cherry & Cranberry Sauce

Dried cherries and fresh cranberries pair beautifully. Cloves are a festive touch. This recipe can be prepared up to 4 days ahead of time. Refrigerate until use.

2 1/2 C cranberry juice cocktail
2 C tart dried cherries 
1 C sugar
1 package, 12 oz., fresh cranberries
1/4 tsp. ground cloves 

Makes About 4 Cups

Bring cranberry juice to a simmer in heavy, large saucepan. Remove from heat. Add dried cherries and let stand 10 minutes. Mix in sugar, cranberries and cloves. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries pop – about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chill until cold. Sauce will thicken as it cools. 

Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce 

Tart cranberries and sweet orange pair beautifully with a little bit of jalapeno heat in this recipe.

12 oz fresh cranberries
zest of 1 orange, finely grated
juice of 2 oranges
2 T tequila
1/2 C sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Makes about 1 ½ Cups

Add enough water to the orange juice to make one cup of liquid. Combine cranberries, orange zest, juice and water, tequila, and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally. 

When the cranberries begin to pop, add the chopped jalapeno cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If the sauce seems a little thick, add a bit more water. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and chill.

Cranberry-Raisin Sauce 

Here’s a spicy cranberry sauce that goes equally well with ham and pork roasts as it does with turkey.

1 C orange juice
1/2 C fresh cranberries
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 C raisins 

Makes About 1 Cup

Combine the juice and cranberries in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until the berries "pop." Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the mixture is thick. Serve hot over baked ham (or with turkey.) 

Cranberry Fruit Salad Mold

6 oz package raspberry gelatin
2 C boiling water
16 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce
8 oz. can crushed pineapple
3/4 C orange juice
1 T lemon or lime juice
1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Break up and stir in cranberry sauce, undrained pineapple, orange juice, lemon juice, and nuts. Pour into a large mold. Chill until firm. Tip mold over on plate to unmold.

Cranapple Sausage Stuffing

This stuffing goes equally well with turkey or pork.

14 oz. white bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/4 C butter
6 C finely diced onions
1 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped
2 C chopped celery with leaves

4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 C dried cranberries 
4 tsp. fresh rosemary
1/2 C finely chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, beaten 
1 1/2 C poultry stock

Serves 12 - 14

Preheat oven to 350F. Divide bread cubes between 2 large baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes. Cool completely, set aside. Saute sausage over medium-high heat in a large heavy skillet until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Crumble sausage with the back of spoon or spatula as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off fat drippings from the skillet, then use it to melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, apples, celery and poultry seasoning. Saute until onions soften, about 8 minutes. Mix in dried cranberries and rosemary. Add mixture to sausage, then mix in bread and parsley. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. You can prepare the recipe, up to this point a day ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to finish.

Mix eggs into stuffing. 

To stuff a turkey
Fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Mix enough poultry stock into remaining stuffing to moisten (about ¾ - 1 cup depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Bake remaining dressing in a dish as outlined below.

To bake stuffing in pan:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 15 x 10-inch baking dish. Mix 1 1/3 cups stock into stuffing. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. 

Baked Acorn Squash with Cranberries

1 large acorn squash, split length-wise and seeded
1/3 C chopped pears
1/3 C fresh cranberries 
2 T frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 T maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Serves 2

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except squash. Place squash cut side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spoon cranberry mixture into squash cavities. Use extra liquid to brush cut edges of squash. Bake about 30-45 minutes, or until squash is soft. 

Related Articles:

Thanksgiving History
The Pilgrims may be the quintessential symbol of Thanksgiving, but the truth is, the Pilgrims never held a "Thanksgiving" feast.

Thanksgiving Traditions and Memories
Family and tradition. Isn't that what the holidays are really all about? The holidays are the one time of the year that families come together and create memories that will stay with them throughout a lifetime.

A Frugal But Elegant Thanksgiving
Over years I have had groups of 10-12 over to our house for Thanksgiving and served a nice dinner with all the extras but didn't break my budget. It takes planning and watching the sales early instead of buying everything the week before.

How to Grow Christmas and Thanksgiving Cactuses
Rooted and growing cuttings of these make wonderful gifts 
to friends and family. Put them in a pretty pot and attach a bow and 
card then they're ready to give!

Grilling a Turkey
Grilling a turkey makes good sense for busy cooks, especially if you’re dealing with a small space kitchen. With the turkey cooking merrily away on the grill, the oven is free for other chores such as cooking large pans of dressing, side dishes or even home baked pies.

Holiday Stuffing Recipes
The following recipes can be used to stuff any poultry you may be serving for the holidays, or you can bake them for 30-45 minutes in a casserole dish. I would be sure to add a little extra moisture to each one if you do this since it won't have the juices from the poultry.