Cranberries: America's Native Fruit
Cranberries are as American as apple pie - in fact, even more so, for cranberries are one of only three major native North American fruits (Concord grapes and blueberries being the others). Long before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, the North American Indians combined crushed cranberries with dried deer meat and melted fat to make pemmican - a food that would keep for a long time. They believed that the cranberry had medicinal properties. Often they would brew cranberry poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds. Native American women made their rugs and blankets colorful by dyeing them with the red cranberry juice. Later, American sailors carried barrels of cranberries on their voyages as a source of vitamin C to prevent scurvy, much like British "limeys" carried limes aboard ship.
To various Native American tribes, the berry was known by many different names. To the eastern Indians, cranberries were known as "sassamanesh". The Cape Cod Pequots and the New Jersey Leni-Lenape tribes called the little red berry "ibimi" or bitter berry, but it was the Pilgrims who gave the cranberry its modern name. To them, the shape of the cranberry blossoms resembled the heads of cranes. The berry was therefore named "crane berry", and later contracted to "cranberry.
Fresh cranberries are available in stores from mid-September through December and are most abundant during their peak harvest season, October and November. Take advantage of the peak season and be sure to freeze in abundance! To freeze cranberries, double-wrap in plastic without washing. Preparing frozen cranberries for cooking is very easy. Just sort and rinse cranberries in cold water. No thawing is necessary and, in fact, best results are obtained without thawing.
Cranberries are a great source of vitamin C, are low in calories (25 calories per one-half cup), high in fiber, contain no fat, are low in sodium, high in potassium, and can be used in so many forms of cooking! They can be used in everything from relishes to desserts. Use the recipes below and your imagination and you will discover hundreds of ways to enjoy this Native American fruit.
Homemade cranberry sauce makes a great gift, too. To give each jar a decorative touch, place a small fabric square over the top of a jar and wrap a bow over the fabric around the neck of the jar.
