We hope that you’ll join us this week at Pathfinder Produce, our fresh fruit and vegetable market held here each Thursday afternoon at the Village Commons, from 2 to 5 p.m. Remember: this is your last chance to shop Pathfinder Produce before Thanksgiving!
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[Note: Lori is on vacation this week, so I’m filling in as Guest Blogger]
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and with it thoughts of feasting on traditional foods of the day. One such food is cranberries. Cranberries are a Native American crop, and tradition holds that cranberries sweetened with syrup or honey were served at the first Thanksgiving celebration.
According to the website World’s Healthiest Foods (www.whfoods.com ), cranberries are loaded with nutrients such as Fiber, Manganese, Vitamins C, E, K, Copper and Pantothenic Acid. Cranberries can aid in immune support and have cardiovascular benefits. Cranberries also act as an anti-inflammatory in the digestive tract, and there is now research being done regarding the berry’s use in prevention of stomach ulcers. (A word of caution: those with a history of kidney stones should ask their doctors about consuming cranberries because in many cases they can exacerbate the condition.)
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[Note: Lori is on vacation this week, so I’m filling in as Guest Blogger]
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and with it thoughts of feasting on traditional foods of the day. One such food is cranberries. Cranberries are a Native American crop, and tradition holds that cranberries sweetened with syrup or honey were served at the first Thanksgiving celebration.
According to the website World’s Healthiest Foods (www.whfoods.com ), cranberries are loaded with nutrients such as Fiber, Manganese, Vitamins C, E, K, Copper and Pantothenic Acid. Cranberries can aid in immune support and have cardiovascular benefits. Cranberries also act as an anti-inflammatory in the digestive tract, and there is now research being done regarding the berry’s use in prevention of stomach ulcers. (A word of caution: those with a history of kidney stones should ask their doctors about consuming cranberries because in many cases they can exacerbate the condition.)
A less common—but more entertaining—name for cranberries is “bounce berries.” I found the following story on the Ocean Spray website: “An early New Jersey grower, John ‘Peg-Leg Webb, first noted this special property of the cranberry. Because of his wooden leg, he couldn't carry his berries down from the loft of his barn where he stored them. Instead, he'd pour them down the steps. He soon noticed that only the firmest and freshest berries bounced down to the bottom; the soft and bruised ones didn't make it. This led to the development of the first cranberry bounce board separator, a device we still use today, to remove damaged or sub-standard berries.” http://www.oceansprayfoodservice.com/about/where.aspx
I can’t imagine a Thanksgiving spread without cranberry sauce, and it’s fast and easy to make your own:
I can’t imagine a Thanksgiving spread without cranberry sauce, and it’s fast and easy to make your own:
Combine 1 cup water with 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add a 12 oz. bag of cranberries and boil gently for 10 minutes. The cranberries should start to pop open. Remove from heat, cover and cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator until serving time. Makes 2 ½ cups. You can use less sugar for a more tart sauce. You could also use honey or agave nectar to sweeten your sauce; in this case, I would recommend starting with ½ cup of sweetener and then adding more to taste before cooling.
For those of you who prefer relish, here is my mom’s recipe. It’s always a big hit at the church turkey dinner:
For those of you who prefer relish, here is my mom’s recipe. It’s always a big hit at the church turkey dinner:
Run one bag of cranberries, one cored apple and one cut up (unpeeled) orange through a grinder. Stir in ¾ cup sugar. Put in a covered jar and refrigerate for at least 1 week before serving.
A great place to find cranberries and many other produce staples for your Thanksgiving meal is at the Pathfinder Produce Market! Come out this week to do your holiday shopping! (We are closed Thanksgiving Day.)
A word about canned cranberry sauce: Some Thanksgiving tables (admittedly my own) aren’t complete without the dish of canned sauce. As a child I insisted that my mom slide it from the can onto the serving plate whole; I loved that it still looked like the inside of the can. With all of the lovely homemade cranberry dishes on the table, however, the canned sauce often gets pushed aside. If you are looking for uses for your leftover canned cranberry sauce, the Beekman Boys from nearby Sharon Springs offer a dozen tasty options. You can find them on their website http://beekman1802.com/leftover-cranberry-sauce-hacks/
All of us at Pathfinder Village wish you a Happy Thanksgiving; you make us truly thankful.
Martha
