Home made cranberry juice
Cranberries are one of the only three native North American Fruits (Concord
grapes, and blueberries being the others). To the eastern Indians, cranberries
were known as sassamanesh. The Cape Cod Pequots and the South 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
pink cranberry blossoms resembled the heads of cranes; therefore the word
crane berry later contracted to cranberry. Early American sailors
carried barrels of cranberries while at sea as a source of vitamin C, much like
the British limeys carried limes aboard ships.
Acid peat soil, sand and
fresh water supply are the three main requirements in cranberry growing. It
requires three to five years for a new plantation to bear a crop large enough
to harvest, but with care and vigilance against frost damage, cranberry vines
will bear indefinitely. Some producing cranberry bogs are over 100 years old.
Fresh cranberries are low in calories (1/2 cup has only 25 calories and are
high in vitatim C). They are also low in sodium.
Fresh cranberries, with
much of the crop grown in Massachusetts, and Wisconsin, USA are available from
September to December.
Canned cranberries generally have sugar added to
offset the berry's tartness.
The closest to fresh cranberries are frozen.
Packed in plastic bags, they are sold in most supermarkets year round.
Over
the years, cranberries have found their way on our tables and provide appealing
appearance and distinctive taste. They seem to be a "natural marriage" for
turkeys, chicken, gamebirds and other game animals. A great number of desserts
are created with cranberries. The picture above combines cranberries,
strawberries and raspberries to make a crisp that is an easy dessert to
make.
