Fall in Wisconsin means CRANBERRIES! Have fun this weekend at Wisconsin cranberry festivals where folks can visit the fields, watch the harvest, and taste the cranberries cooked into delicious breads, jams, sauces, pies, cakes,salads, and meats - you name. If it can be eaten it can have cranberries in it!
And why eat cranberries? Cranberries are health food. Cranberries are the second healthiest fruit, some scientists say they're the most healthiest. Cranberries are loaded with anti-oxidants and health-supporting phyto-chemicals. These small red berries pack a punch on free-radicals and bacteria. They benefit the circulatory, endocrine, and immune systems. A major benefit of eating cranberries is their protection of the digestive system against harmful bacterial infections and ulcers. Cranberries can help stave off cancers affecting the digestive tract, reduce the risk of heart disease, and may even prevent people from getting the flu.
So now I bet you're wondering when you last ate a cranberry. I probably eat cranberries every day, but that's because I have a sweet tooth and I'm lazy. Sweetened dried cranberries are a fast snack I pack in my lunch. They make a great mid-morning or late-afternoon pick-me-up at the office. Cranberries are a quick healthy snack I feed my children when they start to fuss from after-school fatigue and hunger. Because sweetened dried cranberries are regularly on-hand in my cupboard, I call on them to liven up banana breads, muffins, cookies, coffee cakes, pies, and desserts. I toss them into vegetable side dishes, salads, and soups for health, color, taste, and texture. Last night I made my favorite rice dish which features cranberries and wild rice. This side dish tastes wonderful with pork, poultry, or fish. It's festive, different, and easy. Click on "Continue reading..." for more links to delicious recipes using cranberries.
Wisconsin is a U.S leader in cranberry production; no wonder the cranberry is Wisconsin's state fruit. No wonder Wisconsinites have created so many recipes calling for cranberries. One easy cranberry recipe created by the Wisconsin Sinsinawa nuns grinds fresh cranberries with apples and oranges into a refreshing, holiday relish. This relish is wonderful because it tastes great, looks pretty, and will keep in the 'fridge for weeks. Make it now and enjoy all fall.
Prepared cranberry sauces, toppings, and chutneys are an easy way to liven up meals and get healthy cranberries into children's tummies. My children were delighted when I topped their meatloaf with cranberry topping. They not only ate it, but requested I make it again. You betcha' I did!
Other recipes using cranberry toppings are:
Cranberry orange chicken, cranberry steak supreme, cranberry burgundy glazed ham, and fruity cranberry pork chops.
Or how about making cranberry cheesecake cups, or cranberry oatmeal cookies?
A great source for cranberry recipes for any meal is the Urban Processing Sweetened Dried Cranberry Cookbook. The recipes are easy and good. I've used this cookbook a lot and have never run into a recipe I wouldn't make again.
Oh yes, and here's one last reason to eat cranberries. Compared to other fruits with similar health benefits, cranberries are cheap!
Enjoy, ... and live longer and better with Wisconsin's little red fruit.
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Hi Melodee! No, I hadn't heard about this new discovery. I wonder if non-acidic cranberries means they'll taste less tart and therefore require less sugar when baking with them. Less sugar is obviously a good thing. Less cranberry flavor? - That's a bad thing. I'm curious about this "new" food.
Posted by: Amanda and Linda | October 05, 2009 at 10:29 AM
I love cranberries!! Thanks for the recipes.
Have you heard about the new technology that a Wisconsinite has discovered that removes the acidity in the cranberries? (http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/New-cranberry-technology-tackles-tartness) I'm going to be looking for those cranberries :-)
Posted by: Melodee Patterson | October 03, 2009 at 07:32 AM