Sea of Cranberries

Our friend works at the Richmond Nature Park, where they have an annual cranberry sale in the fall as a fundraiser for the park. We ended up with a windfall of cranberries, and had to figure out some way to use them. Some we juiced - the hard way: pile lots of cranberries into a stock pot & cook until most of the berries burst, then strain through a jelly bag. We brought the resulting juice up to a boil then canned into sterilized, hot jars and let the cooling process form a seal. If we'd had a steam juicer, the end result would have been easier to obtain and much clearer (ours is more of a syrup than a juice, but not sweet as syrup might imply!). But our result is great as a cordial with ginger ale; very refreshing and such a gorgeous colour.

I tried a couple of other recipes, one of which was candied cranberries. As we've not cracked those open to taste yet, I'll wait to post that one. Here are the ones that we have tasted, and they're great. I recommend the salsa on poultry, sausages or pork.

Cranberry Marmalade (sort of similar recipe here)

10 cups fresh whole cranberries, washed & sorted
2 tangerines, seeded & finely chopped
1/2 lemon, seeded & finely chopped
3 cups honey
1/2 cup peeled & finely diced ginger (optional, if you're not a fan of ginger)

Yield: about 6 pints

Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to marmalade consistency, stirring often to prevent scorching. Ladle hot into clean, sterile hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner according to the recommendations below.

Recommended process time for Cranberry Marmalade in a boiling water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Half-pints or Pints	5 min	10	15

Cranberry Salsa (original recipe here)

14 cups whole, fresh cranberries, washed & sorted
3 large red bell peppers, seeded & chopped
6 cups sweet red onions, chopped
1/2 cup jalapeño peppers, seeded & chopped
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup bottled lemon juice
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp pickling salt
1 1/3 cup honey

Yield: about 6 pints

Caution: Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch your face while handling or cutting hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes.

Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2O minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Ladle hot into clean, hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner as follows.

Recommended process time for Cranberry Salsa in a boiling water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Half-pints or Pints	10 min	15	20

Want some more cranberry recipes? Check out: