Cranberries
Cranberries are amazing! Did you know... Did you know cranberries are considered an herb? And that most of the commercial berries are produced in Massachusetts and Wisconsin?
Cranberries and their juice have long been regarded as folk treatments for urinary infections? Cranberry is best known in the form of whole fruit, jelled fruit, and juice. Cranberry juice cocktail is a 33 percent dilution of pure juice with added sugars for flavoring.
Cranberries have tannins, compounds that keep bacteria from binding to cells, preventing them from multiplying and causing infections. Tannins are also antioxidants that bond with free radicals -- compounds that damage the body -- and reduce their energy level so they are less harmful. Antioxidants may help prevent certain cancers and contribute to cardiovascular health.
Studies indicate that on a per-serving basis, cranberry juice, sweetened dried cranberries, cranberry sauce and cooked cranberries have comparable amounts of tannins. With anti-adhesion and antioxidant capabilities, cranberries have a dual-action health formula that most foods do not have.
Look for round, plump cranberries with smooth skin.
A 12-ounce bag yields 3 cups whole or 2-1/2 cups chopped berries. Store cranberries in the refrigerator for up to one month, or in the freezer for up to nine months.
Do not wash cranberries until just before using them to keep them at their best.
The best way to chop cranberries is to use a food processor -- they tend to roll away from you when you use a knife.
Cranberry Trivia
How can you tell if a cranberry is good? Before machines took over
the job of checking for quality, people used to roll cranberries down
stairs. The soft, undesirable berries did not have the "oomph" to
make it down, so they would languish on the steps; the fresh ones
made it to the bottom. For fun at home, play along by dropping one
onto the counter or floor. It should bounce like a rubber ball. Not
feeling that playful? Top quality cranberries float.
Cranberry Kidney Health
For over 60 years, Ocean Spray has been actively researching the cranberry and our products to understand their role in maintaining good health. Early research determined that compounds in cranberry, called proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins, prevent certain bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract. If bacteria can't stick, they cannot cause infection. This anti-stick mechanism of cranberry is key to its urinary tract health benefits.
Cranberry extract is almost as effective as antiobiotics for delaying the recurrence of chronic urinary tract infections (UTI) in women. When Scottish researchers tested 137 women who had been treated with antibiotics for at least two UTI in the previous year, half the women got 500 milligrams a day of cranberry extract; the other half got the antiobiotic trimethoprim (100 milligrams daily) for six months. Not only was the cranberry extract nearly as effective as the antiobiotic, it had fewer side effects.
Folklore
When a russian child gets cold doctor always recommends cranberry drinks. There are two main drinks:
a) Mors - boiled and then filtrated red drink with sugar
b) Kisel - mors with dissolved starch to rise nutrition and give density.
See also: Cranberries: America's Native Fruit and Cranberry Food Facts
