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posted by CoolHand on Monday November 21 2016, @06:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the the-simple-things dept.

Just in time for American Thanksgiving, here is a moderately scientific overview of the journey to greatness of the humble cranberry.

The cranberry — one of only a few commercial fruits native to North America — might have even sat beside a roast turkey at the first Thanksgiving feast.

But how did the tart cranberry become an industrial crop, with 800 million pounds grown annually, when other native fruits are so much sweeter? It wasn't just the health benefits, clever marketing, or Grandma's cranberry chutney — it was a happenstance of evolution. Cranberries float.

And they are delicious in milk. Bon appétit!


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday November 21 2016, @06:58PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Monday November 21 2016, @06:58PM (#430747) Journal

    Cranberry sauce is dead simple to make on the stove since the berries pop and release lots of pectin. All you need is cranberries, water, and sugar.

    My last sauce used half and half brown/white sugar, orange zest and juice, cinnamon, allspice, and rum. And some whole cloves which I scooped out before adding the cranberries.

    A typical ratio is 1:1:2 of water, sugar, and cranberries. Cranberries are often sold in 12 oz bags. I got 6 of them for under $1 each and made a lot of sauce.

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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by charon on Monday November 21 2016, @07:18PM

    by charon (5660) on Monday November 21 2016, @07:18PM (#430764) Journal

    I don't have a cookbook to hand, but that looks pretty close to the recipe I use, minus the rum. Hmmm, have to try that.

    Homemade sauce is worlds better than the gelatinous stuff in cans.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by AthanasiusKircher on Monday November 21 2016, @07:58PM

    by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Monday November 21 2016, @07:58PM (#430798) Journal

    My last sauce used half and half brown/white sugar, orange zest and juice, cinnamon, allspice, and rum.

    Yeah, I'd really emphasize the value of having a bit of booze in cranberry sauce (or more than a bit...). I feel like it takes cranberry sauce to a different level. Some people like to skip the separate orange and alcohol and just use an orange liquor like Grand Marnier or whatever. Others do brandy. Personally, I've come to like a bit of bourbon, which complements the cranberry with its slight "vanilla" hints. Also, I really think the alcohol brings out a bit of extra flavor, since some flavor components are more soluble in alcohol (kind of like deglazing a pan with wine or adding vodka to tomato sauce). For best results when using alcohol, I'd let the mixture set for a while (perhaps overnight).

    The rest of the spices (and the amount of sugar) are pretty much up to individual taste. Personally, I love the strong cranberry flavor and tend to be light on the spices (if I use them at all). To your mixture, I might add a pinch of salt too -- a tiny amount can actually help bring out other flavors.

    • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday November 22 2016, @04:01AM

      by Immerman (3985) on Tuesday November 22 2016, @04:01AM (#431044)

      Just an aside about the salt - I recall reading a while back that the combination of salt and sugar together acts to sensitize the taste buds in much the same way as MSG does. Basically it's not enhancing the flavor, it's enhancing your ability to taste it.

      • (Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Wednesday November 23 2016, @04:51PM

        by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Wednesday November 23 2016, @04:51PM (#431910) Journal

        Yes, I'm aware of the effect. But I'm not sure I agree with the distinction -- isn't "flavor" simply what you taste? If you enhance your ability to taste something, aren't you changing (or enhancing) the flavor?

        Our perceptions of flavor are complex and are shaped greatly by the overall food context. For example, there are some complex flavor molecules that taste fairly neutral at medium pH, but if you add acid, they are perceived as "salty." There's no chemical change happening there -- it's just the way our taste receptors are manipulated. In such a case, I don't think you can say either is the molecule's "true" flavor -- it depends on context.

        That's part of the reason why flavor combination can't be reduced to fairly basic chemistry. The potential interactions are too numerous.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by ragequit on Monday November 21 2016, @08:54PM

    by ragequit (44) on Monday November 21 2016, @08:54PM (#430830) Journal

    I'll be making cranberry sauce for the first time this week. How much liquor per pound roughly? 1oz?

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    • (Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Monday November 21 2016, @11:22PM

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Monday November 21 2016, @11:22PM (#430918) Journal

      I put less than a cup in with 72 oz of berries. I didn't consult a recipe, so maybe look around.

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      • (Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Wednesday November 23 2016, @04:57PM

        by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Wednesday November 23 2016, @04:57PM (#431916) Journal

        Just this morning, a friend introduced me to a completely different technique, which I intend to try this year. Rather than the standard "boil until they pop" stovetop method, one can actually just put the cranberries with sugar (and whatever else) in a baking dish, cover tightly, and bake in the oven for about an hour. No water necessary. Here's a basic example recipe. [epicurious.com]

        I had this person's cranberry sauce a couple years ago, and it was REALLY good -- now I know why the cranberry flavor tasted stronger.

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 21 2016, @11:30PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 21 2016, @11:30PM (#430925)

    Not so much a sauce as for getting sauced

    7 lbs cranberries
    10 lbs honey
    about 5 gallons of drinkable water

    Pasteurize the cranberries for 30-60 minutes in 1 gallon of water making sure the berries all pop.
    While this is happening, put the honey into a sanitized 6 gallon carboy.
    Rinse the honey container with an equal amount of water and add to the carboy. Swirl until well mixed.
    Filter the cranberry juice through a fine strainer into the carboy. Swirl until well mixed.
    Add water to about 5.5 gallons. Swirl until well mixed.
    Add dry-mead yeast (i.e. yeast that produces a dry mead, not mead yeast dried down).
    Let ferment for 8-9 months.
    Rack to a 5 gallon carboy, leaving the solids behind. Let sit for 1-2 more months.
    Bottle in wine bottles. Let sit for 1 year.
    Open bottle and drink.

    Makes about 20 bottles.

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday November 22 2016, @01:24AM

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday November 22 2016, @01:24AM (#430970) Journal

      I just bottled 5.5 gallons of non-carbonated mead (well, stuck it in half-gallon jars).

      I was looking for ideas for the next one and this seems to foot the bill. It also uses 5 lbs less honey. Thanks.

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      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @03:21AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @03:21AM (#431017)

        You're welcome.

        I must say I find it amusing that my recipe is modded to 1, but your thanks is modded to 2. I guess that means SN really values politeness. If I'm right this should get modded to 3.

        • (Score: 1) by takyon on Tuesday November 22 2016, @03:30AM

          by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday November 22 2016, @03:30AM (#431025) Journal

          Anonymous users start out at 0, logged-in users start at 1, and logged-in users choosing to use a karma bonus get a 2. Comment score values range from -1 to 5, although logged-in users can add their own modifiers here: https://soylentnews.org/my/comments [soylentnews.org] (such as adding -6 to +6 to new users, anonymous comments, friends/fans/foes/etc., moderation reasons, or comments of varying character lengths).

          In this example, I have unchecked my karma bonus.

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  • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Tuesday November 22 2016, @01:46AM

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Tuesday November 22 2016, @01:46AM (#430974) Homepage

    I posted this in the other cranberry discussion, but tart sweetened cranberry juice + sparkling water makes a great soda.

    A word of warning to those who try to drink pure unadulterated cranberry juice - it will give you an unpleasant stomach pain similar to the rotgut caused by shooting vodka on an empty stomach.

    And as if you didn't know this already - when you buy cranberry juice at the store, and it says it's 100% juice, that almost always means that it's mostly cranberry juice sweetened with apple and/or grape juices. You can find pure 100% cranberry juice at places like Sprouts, but you're in for a world of hurt if you try to chug it straight.

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday November 22 2016, @02:14AM

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday November 22 2016, @02:14AM (#430985) Journal

      I was thinking of seeking out real cranberry juice. Guess I'll stick to the fake shit.

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      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @05:14AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 22 2016, @05:14AM (#431073)

        Ethanol is a wuss. Shooting 2oz of cranberry is much softer than doing a shot of vodka, both on the way down and in the gut. If you have an ulcer you probably shouldn't do either of course.

        Most people who drink the real stuff either
        -water it down anywhere from 1:2 to 2:1 with good water (it's sour and bitter and delicious)
        -wash and press the berries themselves, and do it to taste during (rinsing the pulp through the strainer etc adds water)
        -have it with food
        or
        -have small amounts, and generally rinse teeth afterwards

        The very rare real lover will eat them by the handful (hi) but I only buy organic and pretty good berries. You'll learn to spot 95% of the bad ones pretty fast doing this, but there's that ghost berry with a natural 20 sneak roll in every few bowlsful, and *those* are bad enough that I spit them out. Fresh they're a bit sour, or very sour if unripe. Most farmers grow for size/weight and have very hard, large berries. Better ones are just a bit softer, and quite noticeably sweeter. None, of course, can be as good as lingonberries, but good luck finding a good source of *those*.

        • (Score: 2) by Geotti on Tuesday November 22 2016, @06:48AM

          by Geotti (1146) on Tuesday November 22 2016, @06:48AM (#431099) Journal

          one, of course, can be as good as lingonberries, but good luck finding a good source of *those*.

          Go to a Russian store and ask for "brusnika."