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After Cranberry Season... Best idea for fall.

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    • After Cranberry Season... Best idea for fall.

      Well Fresh Cranberry fruit was found last week at my favorite supermarket. $5 for two pounds of fresh berry's - priceless. I didn't hesitate... making dried fruit for cereal at home and backpacking... priceless. High in vitamin C, flavor and sour as hell, well I am on board. 2 pounds will render less than 1 pound, take what you need.

      True benefits of Cranberry:
      "include relief from urinary tract infection, respiratory disorders, kidney stones, cancer, and heart disease. It is also beneficial in preventing stomach disorders and diabetes, as well as gum diseases caused by dental plaque."


      Partially from being so sour and acidic, this berry floats and is easy to blanch and that is the first step, Put a large pot on the stove, and bring the water to a boil. Put the cranberries in the boil, When the skins pops, generally in a about 4 minutes or a little less, the berries are ready. Fish the berries out with a wok sieve.

      Put the berries in a bowl and add one cup of sugar. Serious that is on the lean side, this aids the drying and will not sweeten enough or adjust to your situation.

      Put the fine mesh on Nesco Harvest trays and fire them up at 120° Remember to put a good quality PAM light oil spray on the trays prior to spreading the fruit. Run the hell out of it 6 hours, stop once to use a spatula to rotate and pull the fruit off the trays and flip it.

      Note to a few here. Remember that blanch water, well it is a necessary step. The Owl did a smart experiment with it. Yea it was red and most of us would have dumped it. Nope not the owl, I put it on a 8 hour simmer (Well below boil) about 190° Totally forgot to check it in the morning. My son rescued it about 5 AM and turned it off... about 2 cups or more of juice and water was reduced to about 4 ounces of heavy syrup. I rendered it thru a sieve and added this sour and slightly sweet to my Vodka and Soda - so fresh and real. An old fashioned Vodka Cranberry shine is about 45 calories and far better than beer. :thumbup:

      Now you know.

      [IMG:http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/Cranberry_zpsmrkaxhus.jpg]
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • Odd it's not the canned part - Its about our revolutionary up-bringing. back 200 years ago most immigrants enjoyed sour stuff! Me too, I discovered that the American palate is far less diverse and likes sweet and savory not sour. Cranberries are so sour they need to be "adjusted" with a little or a lot of sugar depending on who is making them. I find this odd as kids devour Sour balls and other sour candy as if it was the end of the world.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • Love my cranberries sour, when I make my Thanksgiving sauce it is very light on the sugar, a bit of orange rind and walnuts added for texture. Great stuff on those turkey sandwiches the next day.

      For dried cranberries, most of the commercial brands are too sweet for my taste. Some of the organic brands are better. Looks like WOO does cranberries right. Nice work WOO.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier