Almost your mother’s canned cranberry sauce!

I’ve made home cooked whole berry cranberry sauce for years because I want to use local, organic berries and control the sugar, some of the commercial varieties are way too sweet. But, there’s always a joker in the crowd who wants canned, jellied cranberry sauce from the supermarket. In my family, more than one joker. I won’t name names.

The joke was on them last year when I made my own jellied cranberry sauce, making use of a recycled tin can, and they were none the wiser.

It is actually one of the simplest things to do because cranberries are extremely high in natural pectin, which is what makes the jellied texture. However, this, tastes way better than the canned, and uses local organic ingredients! You can also make this several days ahead of the event to save time.

The hardest part of this recipe is remembering ahead of time to save a couple of cans. Use two #2 cans that items such as beans and coconut milk came in or roughly 2 1/2 cups per can.

In a saucepan combine:

• 1 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail, look for the pure juice) or water

Bring to a boil and add:

• 20 ounces of cranberries
• The zest of a lemon

Bring back to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, the cranberries will pop open, and it will start to thicken. Don’t overcook, or the natural pectin will not work as well.

That’s about it! Force this all through a mesh strainer or food mill, then pour the mixture in two clean #2 cans. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

I have also added a quarter teaspoon of both cinnamon and ground anise along with the berries. These are optional and will make it taste so good, no one will believe it is the canned stuff, except their eyes will trick them into thinking otherwise.

To serve, cut off the other end of the can and push through, slice up and serve, just like the stuff from the market, but made with local cranberries!

Jellied Cranberry Orange Sauce:   Substitute orange juice for the cranberry juice, zest the orange, and add the pulp of the orange as well along with the cranberries.

I realize I am going to be in trouble if certain family members actually read this…

© Copyright 2018 – or current year, Dorothy Grover-Read