CREATE A CRANBERRY FEAST

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Nowadays, this member of the Ericaceae (heath) family is cultivated—in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington—in peat swamps which have been drained of water, leveled, spread with a thin layer of sand, and planted with cuttings of the cranberry vine. However, you can recapture the festive atmosphere of early pioneer days by foraging for wild cranberries—as our family does—and using your harvest of the colorful crop to create some downright deli cious additions to holiday meals!

The large American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) grows wild throughout the northeastern United States and westward to Minnesota and Arkansas. Here on the West Coast, though. the Pacific cran berry (V. oxycoccus) is more common in the wild. Although it's smaller than the domesticated variety, we think the forageable fruit has an especially delightful tangy flavor. You can find the red or mottled red-and-white berries of this low shrublike creeping plant in areas with acid soil . . including sphagnum moss bogs and wet, woody river banks. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Be certain, of course, to consult a wild foods guide or to accompany an experienced cranberry hunter on foraging expeditions.] And once you've collected a bucketful of the ruby beauties (or, if necessary, bought a supply of them), try the following recipes ... to fill your kitchen with a bonanza of cranberry creations!

CRANBERRY-HONEY SAUCE

This whole-cranberry sauce is a favorite treat at our supper table year round, and is sure to add cheer to any family feast. Start by combining 1-1/2 cups of mild honey and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan. [EDITOR'S NOTE: MOM's recipe testers found this sauce to be quite sweet. If you're partial to a tarter flavor, simply use less honey (and more water) until you've achieved the desired taste.]

Next, wash and pick over 4 cups (1 pound) of fresh cranberries (discard any green or rotten specimens, but keep in mind that the color differences of ripe berries, ranging from mottled red and white to a dark ruby hue, often indicate the variety—not the age—of the fruit) and add them to the honey syrup.

Bring the uncovered mixture to a boil and simmer it, without stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes . . . until the skins of the berries pop (you'll actually be able to hear the miniature explosions) and the sauce thickens. Then, using a large spoon, skim off any froth that formed during the boiling process, pour the cranberries into a serving dish (we always use a cutglass bowl so that the scarlet color will shimmer through the facets), and chill the condiment until it's firm. Just before setting it on the table, sprinkle a tablespoon of grated orange rind over the surface.

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