Last week I read an interesting article by Heather Cole in NZ Gardener magazine about a couple growing cranberries on the West Coast of the South Island. Real "American-type" cranberries, Vaccinium macrocarpon, not the NZ type that is actually a guava. I was seriously intrigued!
Wanting to support people blazing this sort of horticultural frontier, I went onto the Wild Ruby Cranberries website and ordered some--the 2016 harvest is happening right now.
Cranberries freeze well and can be used for sauces and baking. You will know of course that they are traditionally served in the USA at Thanksgiving and Christmas with roast turkey, and are an important component of those holiday celebrations. Americans also use them in all kinds of baked products throughout the year, including muffins, quick breads and scones. Cranberry juice is meant to help bladder infections and generally cleanse your system. So lots of reasons to use cranberries if you can get them, and now we can too here in NZ.
In Victorian Flower language, cranberries were considered to be a cure for heartache. No heartache to be found here at Struan Farm, and with thanks to Wild Ruby Cranberries it sure does feel like Thanksgiving!
I even had time to do some baking with them: "Old Fashioned Cranberry Bread," a recipe I used to make in the USA, and "Orange Cranberry Muffins," one I found on the internet.
The recipe for the (quick) bread came off the back of a bag of fresh cranberries over 20 years ago, and it's a classic, with orange and Struan Farm walnuts!
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