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In Season: Cranberries

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

By Megan Schmidt & Heather Wirtz October 30, 2012
A week ago my 5-year-old daughter and I went on our first ever, cranberry picking mission. We were led by a friend to a beautiful bog that was situated like a postcard against a bright blue sky and the Long Island Sound here in New York.  Luckily for us the bog was relatively dry and the sun was shining hot so crawling around on our hands and knees was actually an enjoyable experience. Finding a cranberry bog takes some investigation. Our local Parks & Recreation Department has info on where to go. Maybe yours does too? Our cranberries are destined to be turned into sauce a little closer to Thanksgiving. I think we'll try this recipe from Heather! 



Cranberries are a very tart fruit and most products like cranberry sauce and cranberry juice, have a large amount of added sugar.  After testing several ways of making homemade cranberry sauce with less sugar, I came up with a simple recipe that is the perfect combination of sweet and tart.  This recipe uses 100% juice instead of water and less sugar than a typical recipe.  You can change up the flavor by using different types of juice, by adding zest (orange, lemon, lime) and/or different spices.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

1 package fresh cranberries (12 ounces)
1 cup 100% juice - we typically use pomegranate blueberry juice
1/2 cup sugar

1. Rinse cranberries in cold water and remove any steams
2. In a medium pot combine cranberries, juice and sugar
3. Cook over medium-high heat, bringing mixture to a boil
4. Boil for about 5 minutes or until most of the berries have popped open, be sure to stir often
5. Carefully pour cranberry sauce in a bowl and set aside to cool.  
6. Cranberry sauce will naturally thicken as it cools.  Serve once cool or store in refrigerator 

*Carefully taste-test sauce as it boils.  If you prefer a sweeter sauce, you can add additional sugar - either 1/4 or 1/2 cup
**I typically double this recipe each time I make it