Think Cranberries and you think of a traditional accompaniment to roast turkey, or the ideal mixer for vodka. Yet these bright red berries, which are initially white, have gained a rapidly growing recognition as a "super fruit", because of the nutrient content and antioxidant qualities. Available all year they can be used in many interesting ways in the hands of the creative cook. 

Floating Harvest

The cranberry is in the same genus as the bilberry and the blueberry. The fruit was a staple food of the Native Americans and was also used as a wound medicine and dye. Early settlers first introduced them to their diet at a Thanksgiving meal in 1689. 

Some food historians say that it was first called the craneberry by early European settlers in America, who thought that the flower, stem, calyx, and petals resembled the neck, head, and bill of a crane. Although others doubt this explanation.

The American cranberry, which is the variety most cultivated in the US and Canada, is larger than the European (also called wild) cranberry.

There are two harvesting methods. Dry harvesting, which involves the berries being combed off vines with rakes, or the more visually stunning wet method, in which the fields are flooded, and a machine beats the berries off the vine and they float to the top to be collected.

Health Benefits

Cranberries are high in Vitamin C.

They are a source of polyphenol antioxidants, phytochemicals, which are currently being studied as of benefit to the cardiovascular system, immune system and as anti-cancer agents. In the past seven years there has been an increasing focus on the cancer prevention role of cranberries with numerous studies.

Cranberry tannins have anti-clotting properties and may reduce urinary tract infections. The juice contains a chemical component that is able to inhibit and even reverse the formation of plaque that causes tooth decay by killing the bacteria responsible; and has shown to be effective against the formation of kidney stones.

The fruit is high in benzoic acid, a natural preservative that allows the berries to be stored for months without deterioration. Because they did not go off for some time they were taken on long sea voyages stored in water. Selecting which to take involved rolling them down stairs, those that rolled all the way to the bottom were considered good and those that did not were considered damaged; a similar process is used today in sorting machines.

Home Uses

The berries are firm with a crunchy texture, with a tart acidic taste and are normally sweetened before eating. Some varieties also taste of pine. The fresh berries are harvested in late September and October and are at their peak through December. Only about 5 per cent of production is sold as fresh berries, the remainder are processed into products such as juice drinks, sauce, sweetened dried cranberries and frozen. 

Most commonly known as the basis for cranberry sauce, they are used in many sweet dishes, from muffins to jelly.

Aside from turkey, cranberries pair well with game because of its piquant taste. They also work well with chicken and pork. Due to their tart taste they can be used in creative ways in soups and stews, and are a great addition to a salad.

Frozen berries can be directly added without the need for thawing.

More Information and Recipes

For a vast range of information, health facts and recipes, visit these sites: http://www.oceanspray.com and http://www.cranberries.org.

Images: All images used courtesy of Ocean Spray.