How to Make Homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Are
you tired of bitter, tasteless cranberry sauce from the grocery store?
Wouldn't you rather have fresh, preservative-free homemade cranberrysauce? It is
SO easy to make - from start to finish only about 15 minutes. It's perfect with chicken, turkey, Christmas, Thanksgiving and the winter
months! The bright color livens up any dinner table, kids love it and it is low
sugar while loaded with vitamin C and fiber. You can make it with no sugar
(very tart), some sugar (sweet) or artificial sweetener (like Splenda), as you
prefer!It is easy to make and can, if you want some for later! Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated.
Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of 12 months to 18 months, and require no special attention.
Directions for Making Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients and Equipment
Makes about 1 quart of cranberry sauce If you plan to can it for later:
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Recipe and Directions
Step 1 - Get your cranberries
There
are very few places to pick your own, but happily, they store and
transport well, so there probably isn't much difference. Most
grocery stores sell the 12 oz bags. Look for firm berries with a dark
color.
Step
2 - If you are canning: Wash the jars and lids
Now's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars, the water bath processing will sterilize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used. Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot cranberry sauce.
Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out.
Step
2- Wash the cranberries
Pour them in to
a large bowl of cold water, and swirl them around, scoop them out with your
fingers, feeling for any mushy berries, as you scoop. Discard any mushy,
soft berries.
The picture of the 4 berries shows you unripe through ripe. I'd throw out the one on the far left, but use the other 3.
Step 3 - Start the cranberries cooking
They take longer than the apples, so put 2 inches of water (or
cranberry or apple juice) in a pot, get it boiling and pour the
cranberries in. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once
or twice (you'll hear the berries popping, as the berries cook - you'll
kids will get a kick out of that). Once half the berries are popped and
the sauce feels mushy, it's done! It should take 10 to 15 minutes
of cooking over medium-high heat.
Step 4 - Sweeten the cranberry sauce
Turn off the heat. Add sugar to taste. Start out with 1/4 to 1/2
cup of sugar or Splenda, as you prefer. Of course, you can use other
sweeteners, such as honey, or even frozen concentrated fruit juice (like
grape).
If you don't plan to can any, you're done! Just serve warm or cold!
If you want to can for later, continue through to steps 5 and 6.
The cranberry sauce does not need any further cooking; just keep it hot until you get enough made to fill the jars you will put into the canner (Canners hold seven jars at once, whether they are quart or pint size)
Step
5 - Fill the jars and process them in the water bath
Fill them to within 1/2 inch of the top, wipe any spilled cranberry sauce of the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Put them in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. if you are at sea level (up to 1,000 ft) boil pint jars for 15 minutes and quart jars for 20 min. If you are at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, see the chart at the bottom of this page.
Step 6 - Remove and cool the jars - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like.
Other Equipment:
From left to right:
- Jar lifting tongs
helpful to pick up hot jars - Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the pot
of hot water - Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once - Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need them - Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars
 Features: Average Customer Review:
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Home Canning KitsFeatures:* All the tools you need for hot waterbath canning - in one comprehensive set! * Complete with 21 1/2 qt. enameled waterbath canner and "Ball Blue Book" of canning. * Also includes canning rack, funnel, jar lifter, jar wrencher, bubble freer, tongs and lid lifter. * A Kitchen Krafts exclusive collection. This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother
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VillaWare V200 Food StrainerWith this Food and Vegetable Strainer, you'll be able to prepare more healthy foods, make natural sauces, soups and jams - even your own baby food! The tedious job of peeling and coring is eliminated as the strainer continuously separates the seeds and skins from the juices and pulp with just a turn of the handle. The highly polished body contains no paint or coatings that can chip or peel off, is easy to clean, and stands 19-in. high with the attached hopper. Click at left for more information, images accessories or to order. Features:
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With the Deluxe Food Strainer/Sauce Maker, you can make
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