How to Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Cranberries are grown primarily in the United States in great sandy bogs, mostly off the shores of Massachusetts. They are harvested between Labor Day and Halloween and provide these great health benefits when added to the diet:
- Ability to prevent and treat urinary tract infections
- Antioxidant protection for prevention or treatment of cancer
- Aid in recovery from stroke
- Treat ulcers and digestive complaints
- Lower harmful cholesterol (LDL) and help raise good HDL cholesterol
- Protection from breast cancer
- Antibiotic and antiviral properties
- High fiber helps relieve constipation
- Aids in prevention of dental caries
- Protection against macular degeneration
Canned cranberry sauces contain exceedingly high amounts of sugar. Instead, try sprinkling dried cranberries over your salad or turkey stuffing, or blending frozen unsweetened cranberries into a fruit smoothie. Low sugar cranberry juice can be enjoyed for breakfast, or fresh cranberries can be stewed with maple syrup for your own homemade lower-sugar cranberry sauce (see recipe below). Enjoy the Holidays!
If you cut your cranberries after sliding them out of a can, they are processed and devoid of nutrients. Canned cranberry sauce is pretty much cranberry flavored corn syrup. The 4-tablespoon serving size contains a whopping 22 grams of sugar! To give you a visual, imagine 5 ½ sugar cubes sitting on a dessert plate next to 4 tablespoons of the jellied sauce. Got the visual? Now picture how many tablespoons you actually consume and do the math. Quite a bit of sugar, huh?
Making your own sauce is simple, can be prepared days before the holiday, and gives you control over the sugar content. Packaged cranberries can be found in the produce section.
Recipe: In a saucepan, simply mix four cups of packaged fresh cranberries, one cup water, and half a cup of maple syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer until cranberries pop! Mash the popped cranberries and place in a holiday serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Now you can save your dessert plate for dessert!