It's craneberry time!

The term cranberry was derived from the word “craneberry” because the cranberry flowers resembled Sandhill cranes. Regardless of the terminology used, these brilliantly colored little darlings are a beautiful side dish to a large majority of Americans’ Thanksgiving meals each year.

Did you know that Americans are said to consume more than 400 million pounds of cranberries each year? That is a lot of cranberries. I would venture to guess that one particular relative on my husband’s side of the family is a large contributor to that 400 million pounds. This gentleman makes cranberry relish every fall by the bushel full. I think he has a freezer designated solely for his relish. The cranberry man, as I like to call him, then eats his prized snack with every single meal throughout the rest of the year.

Sounds like a great idea, right? The only problem is I am fairly certain his sugar to cranberry ratio is about five to one. That is, five pounds of sugar to one pound of cranberries. This is a case of health food gone wrong.

Michigan State University Extension had some very interesting facts about cranberries. This fruit is native to North America and Native Americans are reported to have consumed cranberries regularly. The berries were also used for fabric dye and medicinal uses. Did you know cranberries grow in bogs and not water? The bogs are beds layered with peat, sand and clay and they are flooded twice a year. Here is a fun video for kids and adults on growing cranberries: http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/cranberries-how-does-it-grow.

How healthy are cranberries? Quite. University of Maryland Medical Center shares on their website that this fruit is high in antioxidants and an excellent source of vitamin C. Cranberries have traditionally been used for treating urinary tract infections and ulcers. Researchers are testing cranberries for their ability to protect us against heart disease, cancer, certain bacterial illnesses, high cholesterol and some viruses.

I have to admit to drinking cranberry juice on a regular basis up until a few years ago when I started reading food labels. My thinking was that it was fruit juice, so it must be healthy. Let’s take a look. One popular brand of cranberry juice has 28 grams of sugar in one eight ounce serving. There are approximately four grams of sugar in one teaspoon. If you do the math, then basically in this one glass of seemingly healthy fruit juice, you are also consuming about seven teaspoons of sugar.

But the label says 100% real fruit juice and it’s even organic. It doesn’t matter. Have you ever tasted a fresh cranberry? Since you need something extra to get that much tartness to go down the hatch, they tend to add a lot of sugar or other sweetener. By comparison, the same company had another product labeled as “unsweetened pure cranberry juice”. This juice only contained nine grams of sugar.

Since cranberries have a high pucker rating, try incorporating the fresh or dried fruit a little at a time into your oatmeal, granola, salads, or salsa. You can also try this Dixie Sandborn family favorite cranberry bread recipe on Michigan State University’s website. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/cranberries_and_their_many_uses.

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

 Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - Nov 27, 2017