Cranberries Selection Information | Nutritional Information | Tips & Trivia
Scientific Binomial Name: Vaccinium macrocarpon
Cooking, sauces, baking, stuffing, glazes or added to liqueurs.
Good quality cranberries will be firm, and a dark red coloring. They are fairly sturdy and require no special handling other than do not store them wet.
Avoid cranberries that are wrinkled, soft or leaking juice.
Cranberries sealed in a plastic bag can be kept for up to two months in your refrigerator.
Cooked Cranberries can be stored for as long as a month in your refrigerator if kept sealed.
You can also freeze washed Cranberries for long-term storage.
Cranberries will not ripen further after harvest.
Cranberries are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) and Vitamin K, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C and Manganese.
Amount per serving
Since cranberries are very seasonal, it is helpful to know that they can be frozen. For example, buy an extra bag or two during Thanksgiving and freeze them if you like to make your own cranberry sauce for Christmas dinner. Do not thaw frozen cranberries.
Cranberry sauce was an invention of American Indians who cooked cranberries with honey or maple sugar, to eat with their meat.
The plant is native to peat and bog areas of northern latitudes around the globe. American berries are unique for their large size and commercial production is confined to North America.
The North American cranberry industry has a long and distinguished history. Native peoples used cranberries as food, in ceremonies and medicinally. Revolutionary War veteran Henry Hall planted the first commercial cranberry beds in Dennis Massachusetts in 1816. Today cranberries are farmed on approximately 40,000 acres (16,200 hectares) across the northern United States and Canada.
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