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Cranberry Classics

The traditional Thanksgiving berry

By Stephen Klein

Before the Europeans stepped foot on North American soil, the Native American inhabitants of the continent were well versed in the harvesting and preparation of the cranberry. The round red berries grew wild in marshes and bogs along the East Coast. Although not unknown in England, cranberries were effectively introduced to the Pilgrims by the Indians, who used them for medicine and dyes as well as food. (The early settlers called the berries "crane berries," because the white blossom and stem resembled the head and neck of a crane.)

The Indians taught the Pilgrims to crush the berries with stones, combine them with dried meat and fat drippings and form small cakes out of the mixture. These cakes, called pemmican, kept well and were eaten throughout the winter.

Americans have been devising new cranberry concoctions ever since. And in the state where the Pilgrims harvested berries growing abundantly in the wild, the fruit has evolved into a viable commercial crop. More than half of the cranberries eaten in the U.S. today are grown on Cape Cod. The berry is also an important crop in the northwestern states, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

Cranberries are grown in cooperation with nature, in a manner that our immigrant and Native American ancestors would recognize and applaud. Pesticide use is minimal; instead, geese weed the bogs and swallows harvest the unfriendly bugs. Some growers also place beehives near the bogs to promote pollination. The berries are proof that organic farming, like Thanksgiving, is a treasured part of our heritage.

Harvested in September, fresh berries are readily available throughout the country in the fall. The fruit will keep between four and eight weeks if refrigerated when bought. Like most berries, they should never be washed until just before using or they'll spoil.

One of my favorite cranberry relish recipes is a simple mixture that beautifully shows off the meaty red fruit:

Cranberry Relish

1 pound bug cranberries
1 orange, pitted and sliced thin
1 can crushed pineapple (unsweetened)
1 package unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
Sugar (to taste)

Coarsely grind cranberries, orange slices and crushed pineapple in a kitchen grinder (a food processor can be used; take care not to overdo it: The final mixture should be a coarse blend of small bits of the ingredients, with the consistency of a thick relish. Place mixture in bowl and stir in gelatin dissolved in 1/2 cup of water.

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