The Cranberry - A Fruit of Distinction by
The Virtual Chef
Autumn and the cook's fancy quietly turns to cranberries! It may be a lousy
paraphrase, but the cranberry should receive poetic accolades if given its due.
The berry has distinction in our culinary culture. The berry grows on the plant,
Vaccinium, a member of the heath family and is native to the northern reaches of
North America and Europe.
It does indeed grow wild in bogs and places with wet, acidic soil, and is a
woody, trailing sort of plant. Native Americans cooked it with maple sugar or
honey into a sauce much like the one we all know and love long before the
Europeans set foot on America's shores.
It is quite likely that it was the first Native American fruit eaten in Europe
for the ripe berry is noted for its excellent staying power and when shipped in
plain water across the Atlantic, the cranberry stayed viable for the trip. In
fact, sailors nibbled the berry to prevent scurvy on long ocean voyages.
To this day, the cranberry is highly prized in northern Europe, particularly in
the Scandinavian countries. Their local version of the berry is called a
lingonberry and tastes just a bit spicier than those native to the U.S.
The cranberry has been cultivated in the United States since 1840 and is
probably the only berry that is as tasty cultivated as it is wild. It is an
important commercial crop in Massachusetts. The Cape Cod region of that state
alone grows about 70% of the total cranberry crop.
When the cranberries appear in the supermarket produce section, it is a true
sign of fall in the United States. Visions of turkey dinners at Thanksgiving
accompany those clear plastic bags or vermilion berries in mind of shoppers
across the nation. They are usually widely available from early October through
the end of the Christmas holidays, and dried as the cran-raisin throughout the
rest of the year. They do make a dandy treat in muffins and scones in their
dried state. Tarter than raisins from grapes or currants, but quite tasty
nevertheless.
The fresh berries should be firm and plump and quite glossy. That high luster
indicates ripeness. Avoid cranberries that are soft and shriveled. The color
varies from bright to dark red, with the bright red berries being larger and the
dark red berries a smaller variety. Store fresh cranberries unwashed but covered
in the refrigerator until ready to use. Moisture will hasten spoilage. Most
commercial varieties can be stored in their original wrapper and if they are to
be used for sauce they can be frozen in the bag they came in from Thanksgiving
to Christmas if you fear they may be in short supply later in the season. (This
happened a few years ago, and in at least our local market, a mild panic ensued
as gourmet cooks discovered the shortage too late to stock up and were forced to
resort to canned cranberry sauce for Christmas dinners!)
High in vitamin C, 3 1/2 ounces of raw berries yield but 46 calories; 3 1/2
ounces of sauce weighs in at 146 calories, and 3 1/2 ounces of cranberry juice
contains 65 calories. The juice, by the way, is said to be excellent for kidney
health and helps hold infection in the urinary track at bay due to the high acid
content of the juice.
Here are some wonderful cranberry recipes to use for your autumn and winter
meals.
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