Cooking With Cranberries

1. Cooking With Cranberries Information provided by Recia Garcia and Today’s Diet & Nutrition, Fall 2006

2. Exploring Cooking with Cranberries • Cranberry – shiny scarlet berries grown in huge sandy bogs on low, trailing vines • One of the 3 American fruits that were indigenous to the region (blueberry & Concord grape) • Also referred to as “bounceberries” and “craneberries” • Grow in the wild in northern Europe and northern climates of North America

3. Harvesting Cranberries • Dry Method – produces fresh or frozen berries used for cooking and baking • Berries are combed from their vines with a mechanical picker • Wet Method- produces fruit used in juices, sauces, and processed foods • Farmers flood the bogs with water • Next day, egg beater-like tools agitate the water and loosen the berries from the vines • Berries float to the surface, gathered, and processed

4. Visiting a cranberry farm

5. More about cranberries • Harvested between Labor Day and Halloween • Peak market period is from October through December • Some bogs are still producing after 100 years • Only about 8% of the annual crop is allocated to the fresh market

6. A little bit of cranberry history • Native Americans of SW Massachusetts called it sassamanash or ibimi meaning “bitter berry” • The Native Americans considered it a symbol of peace and they introduced it to the Pilgrims in the 1600s • The first known recipe for cranberry sauce appeared in 1633 in The Pilgrim Cookbook • The first commercial shipments of cranberries were to Europe in the early 1820’s.

7. A little bit of cranberry history • 19th Century sea traders stocked their ships with cranberry juice to ward off scurvy and other Vitamin C deficiencies. • Native Americans used cranberries for consumption as well as the juice to treat arrow wounds and dye blankets. • Cape Cod has largest production of cranberries

8. Autumn in Cape Cod • Home to more than half of the nine-hundred-plus cranberry bogs in SW Massachusetts • Several vacation spots “showcase” the cranberries with hiking trails that overlook the bogs or you can choose to harvest your own snack

9. Research • Research has shown: • Drinking 2 servings of cranberry juice cocktail can help women maintain healthy urinary tract and prevent infections • Compounds called cranberry proanthocyanidins keep bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract • Cranberries have the highest concentration of total antioxidants which prevent CVD and decrease the risk of chronic diseases

10. Research • Research is looking into: • Cranberries may be a weapon against bacteria-related conditions like dental caries, gum disease, and ulcers • May prevent fungal conditions like yeast infections • May prevent certain flu viruses from attaching to host cells and causing illness • May be a natural preservative that can help defend against food poisoning caused by Salmonella, E. coli, and other types of bacteria

11. Storing cranberries • They can be stored fresh up to 2 months in the refrigerator or up to a year frozen • Do not wash the cranberries before freezing

12. Cooking with cranberries • Americans consume more than 350 million pounds each year • 73 million during Thanksgiving • When ready to use, simply wash them briefly, pick out stems, and place directly into recipe without thawing • If thawed first, the cranberries are likely to collapse • Cranberries should be hard, with a bright red to dark red color

13. Cooking with cranberries • Cook cranberries only until they “pop” • Over-cooking will make them taste bitter • Cranberries need a little sweetness to balance their acidic flavor. • Add sugar, honey, or fruit syrup when cooking • High pectin content of cranberries makes them a natural choice for jams and jellies

14. Nutritional information • 1 cup chopped = 53.9 kcal 0.4 g Protein 13.9 g CHO 4.6 g Fiber 95 g Water 78.1 mg Potassium 14.9 mg Vit C 50.6 IU Vit A

15. Recipe for today • Cranberry Vanilla Smoothie (pg 40)