Cranberry Sauce
I had good fortune growing up in New England where cranberries grow wild and are harvested in the fall, just in time for the holidays. We pick wild cranberries near beaches where the low growing bushy plants grow in the sandy soil.
The concept of buying canned cranberry sauce never entered our minds. In preparation for the Thanksgiving, someone always cooked up a fresh pot of cranberry sauce just before the meal is served. Over the years, I’ve experimented with variations on the classic theme of cranberries boiled with water and sugar. Adding apples, pears or quince, mandarins, raspberries, blueberries, pomegranates and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves. This Cranberry Sauce recipe is a primer. By all means, customize this recipe to your personal tastes.
- 1 12 Ounce Bag of Fresh Whole Cranberries
- 1 Cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice or Water
- 1 Cup Sugar (brown, white or unrefined)
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 Peeled, Cored and Diced Apple or Pear
- In a 2 quart saucepan, combine orange juice or water and sugar and heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and begins to boil. Add the pears or apples, cinnamon sticks and whole cranberries. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- I had the good fortune to grow up in New England where cranberries grow wild and are cultivated and harvested in the fall just in time for the holidays. We used to pick wild cranberries near the beach where the low growing bushy plants grew in sandy soil.
- Someone always cooked up a pot of cranberry sauce just before the meal was served. Over the years, I've experimented with variations on the basic theme of cranberries, water and sugar adding apples or pears, mandarins, raspberries, blueberries, pomegranates and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves.