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Fresh Cranberries
By Brenda Hyde
Does your family think cranberries come out of can? Do your kids
assume those little red berries are only good for stringing and hanging
on
the Christmas tree, or feeding to the birds? You aren't alone! Try
these fresh
cranberry recipes this year, and leave the can behind. You might be
surprised.
Fresh Cranberry Jelly
Ingredients:
4 cups (1 pound) fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
dash salt
Wash cranberries; drain and remove stems. Place in 3 1/2
quart saucepan. Add 2 cups water; bring to boiling point over
high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Press
cranberries and liquid through food mill or colander; then strain,
to remove seeds. Bring cranberry puree to boiling point; boil,
uncovered, 3 minutes. Add sugar and salt; boil 2 minutes. Pour
into a 3 cup mold. Refrigerate for 5 hours or until firm. To unmold
carefully loosen edge with knife and turn out onto dish. 8-10 servings.
Fresh Cranberry Relish
Ingredients:
2 large navel oranges
4 cups (1 pound) fresh cranberries
2 unpared red apples, cored
2 cups water
Peel oranges; reserve half of 1 peel. Chop oranges
coarsely. Wash cranberries; drain and remove stems.
Put cranberries, apples and reserved peel through
the coarse blade of a food chopper or use food
processor. Add oranges and sugar; mix well.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.
Makes 1 quart.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
4 cups (1 pound) cranberries
3 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Wash cranberries; drain and remove stems.
Combine with remaining ingredients in 3 1/2
quart saucepan; let stand 5 minutes. Simmer,
covered for 5 more minutes, remove from heat
and stand 5 minutes. Simmer cover for about
5 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Cool;
refrigerate until well chilled, several hours or
overnight. Makes 1 quart.
Spiced Cranberries
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cranberries
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice
2 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
3 cups sugar
Wash cranberries; drain and remove stems.
Place cranberries into a 3 1/2 quart saucepan.
Add 1 1/2 cups water. Tie spices in a small
cheesecloth bag (or tie cheese cloth bundle
with kitchen string); add to cranberries. Cook,
covered, over medium heat; just until cranberries
burst; about 10 minutes. Remove from heat;
discard cheesecloth and spices. Stir in sugar
and cook 5 more minutes on low heat. Cool;
refrigerate covered and serve cold. Makes
1 quart.
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer living on ten acres in rural Michigan with her husband and three kids. Stop by and visit her garden blog, Garden of Grace & Whimsy, and her photography blog, A Dance of Words & Photos.
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling
Growing and Using Garlic Chives
The Perfect Porch Swing