You know that cranberry sauce that comes in a can? What exactly is that?!
There are some things that just aren’t made to go together and a gelatinous blob of can-shaped cranberry is one of them. Canned “Jellied Cranberry Sauce” isn’t very, well, Cranberry-ish. In fact, Ocean Spray’s version contains Cranberries, High Fructose Corn Syrup, and Water.
While I’m not knocking anyone’s preferences (my Grandma thought ‘Jellied Cranberry Sauce’ was the bomb dot com and while I boast that she once ate my homemade Cranberry Relish, it was only because I was her favorite and she loved me the best)! 😉
When it comes to my Thanksgiving table, however, I prefer to keep my cranberries a little more…natural!
Growing up I never even knew what a cranberry was. I was raised in the Florida Keys and while I could spot the difference between a Key Lime and your more “garden variety” Bearss Lime from a mile away, I didn’t know cranberries came any other way than squashed in a can. In fact, I didn’t know they were real berries till I moved to Massachusetts–and by then I was in my late twenties!
It would take me another decade before I would try cranberry sauce for the first time (a sacrilege I know, especially since I lived in the land of the Cranberry Bog for five years before moving to California) but after that moment, well, a can-shaped tower of red jelly couldn’t hold a candle to the real thing!
This will be my third year having an all “Clean”, all Organic Thanksgiving!
The first year I attempted it, was after the hubs told me (as did a lot of other people) that an Organic Thanksgiving would cost us more than a traditional store-bought one. Secretly, I thought he might be right, but I wasn’t willing to back down from a challenge!
*Stay tuned: I’ll be posting another side-by-side comparison this year!
So, once again, I purchased my organic cranberries in anticipation of another delicious meal. It might seem like “one more thing to prepare”, but I’ve come to realize that Thanksgiving is more about spending time with people and less about hurrying up and getting dinner on the table! What better way to spend time, than during meal preparation? My husband is Italian-American and one thing the Italians are all about is family. Sharing a meal with the people in your life is an expression of love, so preparing food together is an opportunity to pass down traditions, teach useful skills and hang out for a bit (I sure enjoy it a lot more than rushing around)!
There’s something about making homemade cranberry sauce that captivates me–much in the same way as when I make a homemade red sauce.
It such a simple process, but somehow it’s viewed as complex. By using simple, minimal ingredients, you can take something ordinary and make it into something extraordinarily good. Cooking, for most people, is a lost art. It seems like we’ve traded in time for convenience, convenience for our health, and our health for the lack of desire to truly nourish our bodies.
Cranberry sauce is incredibly easy to make and with only three ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time, you may just have a new family favorite on your table this year (and you’ll totally look like a rock star in the kitchen, even though, hey–we already know that you are)!
* Save yourself the aggravation of dealing with the crowds. Buy them this weekend and store them in your freezer.
Here’s what you’ll need:
INGREDIENTS
- (2) Cups (16 ounces) Whole, organic cranberries
- (1) Cup water
- 1/2-1 Cup raw Organic cane sugar (unbleached)
Directions:
Rinse berries in a colander to remove any dirt or debris. Place berries in a large saucepan over medium heat. Immediately add (1) Cup of water. As berries begin to cook the skins will burst open. Stir continuously, adjusting the heat up or down as needed, until berry mixture starts to bubble.
Slowly add in Organic Cane Sugar**, a quarter of a cup at a time, stirring until well mixed. Berries are ready to serve when the mixture is thick and bubbly and berries are soft (slightly more than fork tender–about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool or refrigerate before serving, according to your own preference. I personally like mine hot off the stove!
**Our family prefers the sauce on the tart side, so I typically use a 1/2 Cup, but adjust to your own taste.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you’d like to save it to use with your own Thanksgiving meal, mouse over the photo above and use the easy-pin button to share it on Pinterest for later!