I love cranberries. They remind me of the holidays, a reminder of winter coming and the bright red color just makes me happy. I also really like that they are not as perishable as most other berries and they last for awhile in the crisper drawer. Unfortunately, they are seasonal- it is a berry. And if you want to enjoy them in the spring or summer you will have to go with frozen, not fresh.
Many years ago my mom cleaned out her pantry and brought me a bag of dried cranberries. And of course, I loved those too. I put them in roasted brussel sprouts, roasted butternut squash and just about anything I can think of that would benefit from a hint sweetness. When you roast them, they plump up and provide a wonderful burst of flavor and add a pop of color to your dish. I even love to add them straight out of the bag into a kale salad.
Last year, I decided after the holidays to can/water bath cranberry juice. Of course, I waited too long and all the fresh cranberries were gone. So this week when I spotted them in the grocery store, I grabbed 10 bags- they were $1 each.
It is a perfect weekend for canning- the Thanksgiving hoopla hasn’t begun, the Vols have an away game and it’s getting cold outside which means if the kitchen gets too hot, I just open a door. I love canning when it’s cold outside.
So I decided to can my Bourbon Cranberry Sauce. I absolutely love the stuff and it is really just a cranberry jam. I make it throughout the year and I use it on charcuterie boards, on top of ice cream, on a peanut butter sandwich. I know it sounds crazy, but it is really good. Anything you can do with jam, you can do with this cranberry sauce. And if you don’t like bourbon, no worries- just omit it!
I tripled the recipe, let it set for 15-20 minutes and then filled the sterilized jars. I water bathed for 15 minutes and ended up with 18 half pint jars. Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas? Yep, cranberry sauce/jam.
Then I moved on to the cranberry juice. I know it is easy to purchase cranberry juice at the store. However, it is so nice to walk downstairs and grab a jar whenever I want it. And I know exactly what is in it- cranberries, sugar and water. No red dye, no acids or preservatives. Just cranberries. And I am pretty certain it will be a great mixer on the bar.
I used sterilized quart jars. Toss in 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar and hot water. I water bathed for 20 minutes. Four 12 ounce bags yielded 14 quarts.
So for $10 of cranberries and a little work, I came out with 18 half pints of sauce/jam and 14 quarts of juice. I think I will do one more run of sauce/jam this week…it really would make a great little friend, hostess or Christmas gift. So if you see a crazy lady in the grocery store piling bags of cranberries in her buggy- it’s probably me. I do not apologize for my love of cranberries. Just don’t try and eat a fresh one- trust me!
