Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce is one of those things I never thought twice about until just a few years ago.

I mean really, what’s there to think about? It comes in a can, you buy it around the holidays (and really, only around the holidays), it comes in jellied form or in whole cranberry form, and people seem to either love it or hate it.

Well, as few years ago, as I began to delve deeper into our food sources and systems as well as learn more about sustainability, BPAs, ingredients, and all of the other troublesome topics around food in general, I began assessing which in-a-can or from-a-box food items I could make myself.  Why?  Because it allows me to pick and choose which ingredients go into the food we’re eating, as well as where those ingredients come from and how they were grown or raised.

Now, cranberry sauce isn’t going to change the world, but making my own allows me to take one step closer to our food sources which allows me to be a tiny part of the change I want to see in our food systems by allowing me to control my ingredients and skipping a few of the processes those cranberries would go through on their way into a can, on the road, onto store shelves and then into my kitchen.

Plus, making my own cranberry sauce is easy and super delicious. What more could you ask for?

Cranberry Sauce – Ingredients

• 2 bags whole organic cranberries
• 1 organic orange
• 1 large cinnamon stick (or two small sticks)
• 1/2 cup sugar

Cranberry Sauce – Process

• Rinse, pick through, and drain your cranberries (you pick through them to remove any bloated, soft, ugly or moldy cranberries)
• Zest your orange, then juice it (I use one of these for all of my citrus juicing)
• Place your cranberries, orange juice and zest, cinnamon stick(s), and sugar into a pot and place over medium heat
• Stirring occasionally, bring to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, until cranberries have popped and the sauce begins to thicken
• Remove from heat and allow to cool
• Remove the cinnamon stick(s) and enjoy immediately or put it in the refrigerator for later consumption

Easy peasy, right?  Which, I have to say, when you’re intentionally making things at home from scratch, easy really is the best way to go!  It helps that it’s delicious, too 😉

xoxo,
M