2-on-Tuesday: Don't Eat that Weird Cranberry Stuff!

For the love of all that is pure and holy, DO NOT EAT that wiggly, jelled "cranberry" stuff in a can. It looks alien. It doesn't take a lot of time to create a bounty of bliss with the beautiful Bounce Berry! 

Bounce Berry? Oh, yeah. As cranberries are harvested and cleaned, they move through a ladder-type thingamajig which drops the berries. Because of the air pockets inside, only the best berries bounce. The others are processed for juices.

Cranberry Myth: Cranberries grow in water. Nope, they don't. They grow on bushes in fields sometimes referred to as "bogs." However, many cranberries are harvested by water --in the bog-- and this is where the confusion comes.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2 cups Sugar (or your choice of sweetener, try maple syrup, Agave, etc.)
3/4 to 1 cup of Liquid (your choice of water or orange juice or apple juice)
For that seasonal flavor, try adding a ground Cinnamon, Cloves or Allspice
12 oz package Whole Cranberries

• Bring first 3 ingredients to boil, add cranberries and return to a boil
• Reduce heat and boil gently while stirring occasionally
• You'll hear the berries burp or pop as they cook down, 10-20 minutes
• Pour cauce into a heat-tolerant bowl, cover and cool at room temp
• Serve as a side or condiment to Turkey and Dressing!

Cranberry Fluff

Cool Whip
Cranberry Sauce (homemade or from a can)
*optional: Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

• Empty a tub of Cool Whip into a larger bowl
• Using a spatula or fork, gently fold in 1-2 cups of Cranberry Sauce
• Refrigerate until time to serve

Other Ideas:

As an easy candy... Melt together a bag of Hershey's Premier White Chocolate Chips and a tablespoon of Crisco. Pour into cookie sheet pan that is lined with parchment. Bang out the bubbles. Spread the chocolate and drop DRIED CRANBERRIES (like Craisins) on top. Allow to set before breaking or cutting. Seal in air tight container.

Or...Mix in a handful of fresh whole cranberries to your dressing/stuffing before cooking.

Or...Toss a handful of dried cranberries into your sweet bread dough before rising.

Or...Add a sprinkling of dried cranberries into your batter for pancakes or waffles and cupcakes and cookies!

Because the cranberry is pretty tart, it usually requires a fair amount of sweetener to tame the taste. Honestly, if you don't have a bend toward this berry, already, just try a couple of sweet recipes to beguile your buds. If you don't like it, spit it out! You can always string your Christmas tree with garlands of popcorn and cranberries!

Another Cranberry Myth: Cranberries cure kidneys and urinary tracts. Nope, they don't.

Read some more interesting facts about the CRANBERRY, The Great American Berry!

Happy Thanksgiving!
~"Sam"