is there anything quite so perfect?

November 15, 2009 Jessica Moseley Gordon

I love cranberries! I love the look, feel, smell and taste of them! They are perfect in so many ways. I love cooking with them, baking with them, tossing them into drinks for a lively and lovely festive effect. I love snacking on them (dried and sweetened) and I love decorating with them. Their color is perfect to carry you from the fall to the winter festivities. What's more is that cranberries are so good for you.

Admittedly, I might have overdone the pumpkin a bit this year. I'm not saying I won't return, but for now we're shifting to the perfect little cranberry!

Photos and ideas courtesy Better Homes and Gardens

The Frozen Cranberry Margaritos, photo and recipe courtesy Southern Living

Cranberry Bog Cocktail, photo and recipe courtesy Food Network and Gail Gand

Pear and Cranberry Bellini, photo and recipe courtesy Martha Stewart

Cranberry, Tangerine and Pomegranate Punch, photo and recipe courtesy Martha Stewart

Did you know that the cranberry is a cousin of the blueberry? These tart, bright berries can still be found growing on shrubs, but when cultivated, are grown on low trailing vines in great sandy bogs. The American cranberry, the variety most cultivated in the northern United States and southern Canada, produces a larger berry than the wild cranberry or the European variety.

Fresh cranberries, which contain the highest levels of beneficial nutrients, are at their peak from October through December, just in time to add their festive hue, tart tangy flavor and numerous health protective effects to your holiday meals. The cranberry season is short, so stock up and toss a bunch in your freezer! When the season passes and you have run out of these fresh berries, you can still enjoy cranberry juice and dried or frozen cranberries both of which have still have many of the wonderful health benefit that the fresh berry contains.

It was the Native Americans who first took advantage of cranberries. They mixed deer meat and mashed cranberries to make pemmicana-survival food. The Native Americans also believed in the medicinal value of cranberries. The utilized the berries and the leaves to create their own antibiotic medicines. Medicine men would use cranberries in poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds. They also used the rich red juice of the cranberry as a natural dye for rugs, blankets and clothing. Legend has it that the Pilgrims served cranberries at the first Thanksgiving. The tradition still continues today. Sailors used cranberries as a source of vitamin C to prevent scurvy.

We now know that cranberries are full of Vitamin C, and full of antioxidants that help cleanse and purify the body. Cranberries have long been valued for their ability to help prevent and treat urinary tract infections. Now, recent studies suggest that this native American berry may also promote gastrointestinal and oral health, prevent the formation of kidney stones, lower LDL and raise HDL (good) cholesterol, aid in recovery from stroke, and even help prevent cancer.

So Bon Appetit and Chin Chin! Enjoy your cranberries this Holiday Season!

Cranberry, Apple and Maple Phylo

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

and Cranberry Lemon Squares,
all courtesy Martha Stewart

For more Cranberry recipe ideas visit Ocean Spray and The Entertaining Kitchen, where cranberry recipes are being added daily!