Cranberries: Fresh and In Season!

So, you actually like cranberries?. They're cran-delicious! — LD

WAREHAM, Mass. -- While cranberries have traditionally been passed around the holiday table, there are deeply-rooted reasons to enjoy these healthy, tasty berries throughout the year in a variety of forms. Today, fresh cranberries are in season, and their journey from the bog to the breakfast table is anything but ordinary, say experts at the Cranberry Marketing Committee.

Cranberries grow on low-lying vines in watertight beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. These beds, commonly known as bogs or marshes, were originally created by glacial deposits. Commercial bogs/marshes use a system of wetlands, uplands, ditches, flumes, ponds and other water bodies to provide a natural habitat for the cranberry vines.

The cranberry season begins in winter, when growers flood the bogs/marshes with water that freezes and insulates the vines from frost.

During spring, the bogs/marshes are drained, blossoms begin to appear, and through the summer, the cranberries become red, ripe and ready to gather. Cranberries are typically harvested in September and October.

Most cranberries are harvested using the wet method: Growers flood their bogs/marshes with water, and then use harvesting machines to loosen the cranberries from the vine. With small air pockets in their center, the cranberries then float to the water's surface where growers corral the berries onto conveyers, which lift them from the flooded bog/marsh onto trucks and into processing plants. A small percentage of cranberries are dry harvested, which involves using mechanical pickers resembling lawn mowers with comb-like conveyer belts to pick the berries and carry them to attached burlap bags. Dry harvested berries are sold as fresh fruit.

Not only are cranberries extremely tasty and versatile in culinary applications, they're also a mighty healthy fruit with the unique power to fight bacteria. What's more, cranberries have been shown to have more antioxidant phenols than 19 commonly eaten fruits. These antioxidants can help aid a healthy immune system, maintain heart health, protect healthy cells from damage, and promote successful aging.

Take pleasure in this year's harvest by discovering new ways to enjoy the vibrant flavor of fresh cranberries. Try them in sauces, beverages, desserts, vinaigrettes, salads and more. In season, they're available at most supermarkets, usually in the produce section.
Here are some newly picked ideas to get rolling with fresh cranberries in the kitchen:

-- Make a simple, elegant relish for sandwiches or salads by combining oranges, fresh cranberries and sugar in a blender for a blast of flavor.
-- Make dinnertime dynamic with a simple glaze for chicken. Over the stovetop, combine and simmer fresh cranberries, brown sugar, Dijon-style mustard and a touch of molasses. Pour over chicken, cover and bake.
-- Whisk homemade cranberry compote into a vinaigrette for hearty winter green salads.
-- Create a cranberry frozen margarita by blending frozen cranberries with a favorite margarita mix and confectioners sugar to taste.
-- Whip up an antioxidant smoothie by combining frozen cranberries, frozen blueberries, vanilla-flavored yogurt, milk and honey.

Stock up on fresh cranberries for use beyond their season by storing them in the freezer. Simply place bags of fresh berries directly into the freezer in their original bags. Frozen cranberries can be kept in the freezer for up to one year and can be used in any recipe that calls for fresh berries.

Enjoy cranberries in all their ruby-red forms; choose from sweetened or unsweetened cranberry juice, sweetened dried cranberries, and prepared frozen berries. With their unique sweet-tart taste and striking red color, cranberries are refreshingly versatile.

For more information on cranberries, please visit http://www.uscranberries.com.

SOURCE: Cranberry Marketing Committee