The English name is said to be a variant of “craneberry,” allegedly because English settlers thought the flower, stem, and petals resembled the neck, head, and bill of the crane bird.
Your Thanksgiving cranberries may be one of the more local dishes. All but two percent of the world’s cranberries are grown in North America, including nearly half in Wisconsin.
Cranberries are high in antioxidants that may fight cancer and promote healthy cardiovascular and immune systems. And they help prevent urinary tract infections.
Only around five percent of cranberries are sold fresh and whole. The remainder are processed into products such as juice and sauce.
The best way to determine if whole cranberries are fresh is to drop them on the counter. The fresh ones bounce, and the rotten ones don’t.
Most cranberries are marketed through cooperatives. Best known is Ocean Spray, a cooperative that controls two-thirds of cranberry production.
Most organic cranberries are grown in Quebec and distributed through the Organic Growers’ Cooperative. Organic cranberries were until recently thought to be impossible to grow profitably, because weeds and pests must be controlled by hand.
The last thing that a harassed cook wants to do is allocate time to fussing over cranberries. Unfortunately, conventional supermarket canned cranberry contains high fructose corn syrup. Unhealthy foods lurk everywhere in the Thanksgiving meal, so why let cranberries add to the problem.
Relish made from fresh whole cranberries is not only healthy, it has a chunky crunchy texture that is more pleasing than the cooked or gelatinous processed products. The basic recipe is quite straightforward.
In a food processor, coarsely chop two cups of organic whole cranberries, one-half cup organic nuts such as walnuts or pecans, and one-half cup local honey. Make extra for leftovers. The relish will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Most recipes call for chopped orange, apple, or other fruit. These are fine additions, but they need to be chopped by hand, so if you are pressed for time just stick with cranberries, nuts, and honey in the processor.
Organic cranberries, organic fair trade nuts, and local honey are available at MOON Co-op Grocery, Oxford’s consumer-owned full-service grocery featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. MOON Co-op, located at 512 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day. www.mooncoop.coop.
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