Canned Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce with Ball® Canning
The big Thanksgiving Day is almost upon us! As my favorite holiday, I love to follow any and all of the little traditions that go along with it. There is something about this time of year that makes me sentimental for childhood and old-fashioned traditions. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my family really always only consisted of me and my parents. We never had large family gatherings, and I did not grow up with siblings or cousins. I’ve always longed for a big family meal!
One thing that I do like to do is host a Friendsgiving meal in the days before Thanksgiving. While this year makes that a bit more challenging with all that is happening in our world, you may be considering having a small gathering of your own or even just sending your special Friendsgiving gang a gift to say you are thinking of them this year. This is where the traditional cranberry sauce comes in! There’s no better to way to say “thinking of you” than a home canned goodie!
ingredients & recipe:
MAKES ABOUT 8 8OZ JARS OR 4 PINT JARS
4 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
8 cups cranberries
zest of 1 navel orange
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare your canner, jars, lids, and bands. If you need help with this, click here!
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Stir constantly and bring to boil until the sugar dissolves completely.
Add the cranberries and return to a boil. Lower the heat to a low boil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have all burst and the sauce has thickened enough to sheet on a cold metal spoon, about 15 to 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.
Lade hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims. Apply lids and bands to fingertip tight.
Process in the hot water bath canner for 15 minutes. Remove canner lid and turn off heat. Let jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove from canner and wait for seals to pop. Check seals after 12 to 24 hours.
What makes cranberry sauce an American Thanksgiving staple? It’s no surprise that while cranberries are eaten like crazy in this country (400 million pounds per year!), over 20 percent of that number is consumed during the week of Thanksgiving. This is due to the fact that cranberries are one of only three commercially produced fruits that are native to North America. Crazy!
We have no way of knowing what was eaten at any first Thanksgiving meal, but we do know that cranberries were growing and eaten by the Native American tribes during the early colonial period. They were used for other things, too, like natural dye and medicine. By the 1800s, Americans were harvesting cranberries by hand. Because of their popularity among the pioneers during the Civil War period (when the holiday was created), cranberry sauce was a staple in most of the country’s diets. By the beginning of the 20th century, cranberry sauce was being commercially produced and sold.
The interesting part about all of it is, I had no idea how simple it was to make homemade cranberry sauce! After years of purchasing it at the store, I can’t say that I ever will again. This recipe takes less than hour to throw together, and it will probably last me until next Thanksgiving if I were to keep all of the jars. How handy is that?
Whether you decide to gift your cranberry sauce away, store it for Christmas, or turn the time spent to make it into a new family tradition with your loved ones I hope that you enjoy making it! This recipe is originally from the Ball® Complete Book of Home Preserving. I think they look so special in the Ball® Snowflake Jars, don’t you? It feels very festive and bright during these strange times!
xoxo Kayla
This post is sponsored by Ball® Canning.
