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NOVEMBER | 2016 INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH CRANBERRIES Ingredient of the Month Presented by American Culinary Federation Education Foundation NOVEMBER | 2016 INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines. They are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to 7 feet long and 2 to 8 inches in height. They have slender, wiry stems that are not thickly woody and have small evergreen leaves. The flowers that bloom from these plants are dark pink, with very distinct reflexed petals, leaving the style and stamens exposed Healthy Ingredient Contribution Raw cranberries have minimal levels of vitamin C, dietary fiber and the essential dietary mineral, manganese, as well as other essential micronutrients in minor amounts. Because cranberries are tart by nature, cranberry juice is primarily sweetened or blended with other juices to reduce its tartness. Cranberry juice cocktail has approximately one teaspoon of sugar per ounce, making cranberry juice cocktail more highly sweetened than even soda drinks that have been linked to obesity. Types and Varieties Cranberries are related to bilberries, blueberries, and huckleberries. These differ in having bell-shaped flowers, the petals not being reflexed, and woodier stems, forming taller shrubs. Some plants are sometimes called highbush cranberries. In North America, Native Americans were the first to use cranberries as food. Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, especially for pemmican, which is a concentrated mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food with fruit added for flavor. They have also been used as wound medicine, and dye. Calling the red berries Sassamanash, Algonquian people introduced cranberries to starving English settlers in Massachusetts who incorporated the berries into traditional Thanksgiving feasts. and pointing forward. Cranberry shrubs and vines are pollinated by bees. The berry itself is larger than the plant leaves and it is also initially light green, turning red when ripe. The cranberry is edible, with an acidic taste that can overtake its sweetness. Consumption Cranberries are a major commercial crop in a number of U.S. states. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin are major producers of cranberries. The Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec are also major producers of cranberries. British Columbia’s Fraser River Valley region produces an volume of 37.5 million pounds of cranberries annually which is about 95% of total Canadian production. In the United States, Wisconsin is the leading producer of cranberries, with over half of U.S. production. Massachusetts is the second largest U.S. producer of cranberries. NOVEMBER | 2016 INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH Selecting and Storing Interesting Facts Cranberries for fresh market are stored in shallow bins or boxes with perforated or slatted bottoms, which deter decay by allowing air to circulate. Because harvest occurs in late autumn, cranberries for fresh market are frequently stored in thick walled barns without mechanical refrigeration. Temperatures are regulated by opening and closing vents in the barn as needed. Fresh cranberries can be frozen at home, and will keep up to nine months. They can also be used directly in recipes without thawing. Cranberries are harvested in the fall when the fruit takes on its distinctive deep red color. Berries that receive sun turn a deep red when fully ripe, while those that do not fully mature are a pale pink or white color. This is usually in September through the first part of November. American Revolutionary War veteran Henry Hall is credited as first to farm cranberries in the Cape Cod town of Dennis around 1816. Culinary Uses Most cranberries are processed into products such as juice, sauce, jam, and sweetened dried cranberries, they are also sold fresh to consumers. Cranberry sauce is a traditional accompaniment to turkey at Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom and Thanksgiving dinners in the United States and Canada. White cranberry juice is made from regular cranberries that have been harvested after the fruits are mature, but before they have attained their characteristic dark red color. Cranberries are also sold dried and sweetened. The berry is also used in baking muffins, scones, cakes, breads, etc. In baking cranberries are often combined with orange or orange zest for a more robust flavor. AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION 180 Center Place Way St. Augustine, FL 32095 800.624.9458 | www.acfchefs.org