A Year of Blogging: November 23, 2011

November 23 was 'Eat a Cranberry Day'. There's no real indication why we should eat cranberries. They are a staple at Thanksgiving tables, so maybe it has something to do with that. Of course, when we think of cranberries, we think cranberry sauce. There are opposing viewpoints about cranberry sauce. There are those who think it should be a whole berry, or perhaps even something you make yourself. And then there are those who believe cranberry sauce is the jellied version, the kind that comes out of the can and maintains the shape of the can. For me, cranberry sauce is the jellied kind. That's what we always had. Mom said Grandma used to make her own cranberry sauce, until the Ocean Spray became so readily available. Grandma worked full time, so anything she could use that saved her some prep time was wonderful. A couple of years ago, we had Erich's family over for Thanksgiving dinner. My parents were here too. As they left, Erich's nephew, who was about 7 or 8 at the time, thanked my mom for a wonderful dinner. He told her that he especially enjoyed the cranberry sauce, it was the best ever. We all got quite a laugh out of that! Cranberries are good for so many other things than just sauce though. I like to have cranberry orange bread with our Thanksgiving meal. At times, I have made a fruit stuffing of apples, oranges, and cranberries and stuffed the turkey with that. Cranberries are a nice compliment to a pork roast. And I've even baked cookies with cranberries. Cranberries are one of only three fruits native to North America. Cranberries reach their peak in flavor and color in the fall. This explains why they are a staple for Thanksgiving meals- they were part of the fall harvest. Cranberries grow on vines in bogs. The bogs are flooded the night before harvesting, which allows the cranberries to float, creating an easier harvest. I have never seen cranberries harvested, but I've heard it's a neat thing to see. Celebrate the cranberry today by eating your favorite recipes using this superfruit. They are good for you, and taste pretty good too!