Granddaughters Request My Cranberry Sauce

The Champ for Cranberries is Wisconsin

According to Wisconsin State Farmer, Wisconsin cranberry growers expected a 4.97 million barrel crop in 2023, besting 2022’s crop of 4.84 million barrels. They go on to say, “The CMC forecast, based on grower surveys, marks the 29th year that Wisconsin has led the nation in cranberry production. The state of Massachusetts is a distant second, producing 1.95 million barrels, followed by New Jersey at 561,000 barrels, Oregon at 520,000 barrels and Washington at 168,000. In total, the U.S. crop is expected to be 8.17 million barrels, according to the CMC.” – SOURCE: Wisconsin State Farmer

“’Wisconsin is a global leader in cranberry production, generating $1 billion in state economic impact and providing thousands of local jobs across Wisconsin, and we are proud to continue that tradition in 2023,’ said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.” – Source: Wisconsin State Farmer

How Much Sugar Should I Use?

Sugar is probably not the best thing we can eat. In moderation it probably won’t ruin your health, but most of us are not moderates and most of us certainly aren’t conservatives when it comes to sugar. Having said that, each Thanksgiving I can be reasonably certain that one of my granddaughters will ask if I am going to make my cranberry sauce. If you are wondering which of the three asks, it is Mia.

What makes my sauce the best is that it doesn’t use high fructose corn syrup, and it also doesn’t use corn syrup. I use fresh cranberries and a reduced amount of white sugar.

Today I looked at Aldi’s “Jellied Cranberry Sauce” to see its contents. Each quarter cup serving contains 23 grams of added “sugar.” To put this in perspective, I understand that a quarter cup of sugar equals 50 grams. So each serving is about half high fructose corn syrup.

The Fresh Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Aldi also sells fresh cranberries. The bag contains the recipe they suggest. The ingredients are the 12 ounces (340 grams) of cranberries. They suggest you to use 3/4 cup of water and 1.5 cups of sugar. In other words, they think the mix should be 300 grams of sugar for the 340 grams of berries. I beg to differ.

I usually only use 3/4 cup of sugar for each 340-gram bag of cranberries. In other words, my cranberry sauce has 150 grams of sugar. Is that healthy? No, but you don’t need to eat a quarter cup of my cranberry sauce with your turkey to be satisfied.

As a side note, the cranberries at Aldi are grown in Wisconsin. The cranberry industry is a big deal here, so I am supporting our state economy by making my sauce.

Tasting Canned Cranberry Sauce

Furthermore, canned cranberry sauce is, to put it politely, yucky. Now I realize some of you may have been raised on that awful cylindrical concoction, so I know we develop our likes from what we were fed as children. It is time to move on. Here is how you do it.

Instructions

Heat the water and cranberries in a saucepan. Add the sugar and simmer. Fresh cranberries will pop when they get hot, so be ready for a bit of splash. Stir occasionally and when the sauce looks good to you, pour it into a container to cool. Once the sauce has cooled, put it in the refrigerator. The package says one bag makes about 4 cups. Because I reduced the sugar, my yield is probably more like 3 cups. However, I do a double recipe so that there is plenty of sauce for all of us.

Suggestions

You can do other things with the finished product. Here are some suggestions: Use it as an ice cream topping or add it to muffins for a tangy treat. I also like to take a piece of bread, cover it with peanut butter and then use the cranberry sauce as a jam. Finally, you can mix it in lemonade to add some color and some tartness.

Thanksgiving

Before I end this post, remember the Pilgrims were thankful. They thanked God. The Psalmist reminds us of this: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1

God’s steadfast love is so much better than cranberry sauce!