Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
Bringing the Bog Home: Grower Favorite Cranberry Recipes
“I know it's only sauce. But I am always surprised at how many people have never cooked it before. Home cooks should feel free to fiddle around with this flexible recipe. I sometimes add the halved lemons that I have previously squeezed and frozen. After boiling, I remove the rinds before serving, but the infused flavor is worth the addition.” ~ Mary McCaffery, Spring Rain Farm of East Taunton
Source: Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association & Mary McCaffrey, Spring Rain Farm
Ingredients
6 cups cranberries
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1½ cups apple cider or juice (cranberry, orange, etc.)
3 small oranges or clementines, peeled, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup maple syrup
1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
Method
Combine cranberries, sugars and juice in a heavy, large stock pot and simmer over medium-low heat until the cranberry skins begin to burst.
Stir in clementines or oranges and lemon juice, continue to simmer for 10 minutes more.
Remove from heat, and stir in maple syrup, cool to room temperature. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Stir in nuts if desired and refrigerate in a tightly sealed container until ready to serve, up to 5 days.
Cranberry Impact
Massachusetts is home to 300+ cranberry farmers, 14,000+ acres of cranberry bogs, and 65,000+ acres of associated open space. Learn what's happening on cranberry farms this time of year.
Cranberry blossom season starts in mid-month and growers hope for sunny days. Migratory and native bees pollinate the flowers and tiny fruit pin heads begin to form. With the warm weather, frost events lessen.
The berries start to size. Nutrients are applied to support the growing fruit. Growers irrigate as necessary and monitor for fruit worm and fruit rot.