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• Cranberry Creations

Cranberry Creations

By Bobbi Moreno

Not just for holidays, fresh cranberries make a sweet and healthy addition to recipes throughout the year.

Cranberries, those crimson, tangy treats that were once only welcome as a holiday accoutrement, have found their rightful place at the table -- and not just beside the turkey in the form of cranberry sauce.

Bold-flavored and festive, these native berries are a pleasing addition to a variety of dishes. Their colorful background illustrates the versatility of this fruit.

Cranberries provided a good source of fresh fruit to the North American Indians, who were the first to discover the wild-growing berries in the marshes. One dish they relished was called pemmican, a mixture of dried venison, fat and cranberries pounded to a pulp, patted into cakes, and then placed on rocks to bake in the sun.

American Indian women used the bright red juice from the boiled berries to add color to their rugs and blankets. The tasty fruit had medicinal use as well -- a cranberry poultice was a commonly used remedy for treating wounds inflicted by poisoned arrows.

The American Indians presented this ruby-red gift to the Pilgrims, and legend has it that they were served at the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

While fresh cranberries are only available from mid-September through December, frozen and canned cranberry products may be found year-round at the supermarket.

This holiday jewel is a nutritional gold mine. Cranberries are naturally rich in fiber and vitamin C, and provide an abundant source of potassium; one-half cup of cranberries contains 39 milligrams of this mineral.

The calorie count is more good news -- just 25 calories in one-half cup of this plump, red fruit. These numbers change drastically for the typical canned or frozen cranberry sauce, which typically has more than 200 calories per one-half cup.

For a festive flavor boost, seek out cranberry recipes online and/or in print to deliver delicious fresh-from-your-kitchen holiday fare.

Quick Tip: Cranberries may be refrigerated for up to two weeks and frozen, double-wrapped in plastic, for nine months. To prepare for cooking, it is not necessary to defrost the berries completely. Sort and rinse them in cold water.

Copyright © November/December 2004, Home Cooking magazine. All rights reserved.