Tags: DigIn, DigIn21, Magazine, DigInMagazine, NovDec, cranberry tips, cranberry recipes

It’s Fresh Cranberry Season!

Author: be well™ with Big Y^® Registered Dietitian Team

Whether you enjoy them in sauce, pastries or savory recipes, these native berries are a fan favorite.

Watch as registered dietitian nutritionist Andrea Luttrell celebrates the native star of the Thanksgiving holiday and features this Cranberry Apple Chutney recipe!

Living in New England, you may have been fortunate enough to visit local cranberry bogs to see the harvesting of these beautiful, vibrant berries. Cranberries are only harvested once per year from mid-September through early November, so the cranberries on supermarket shelves now are as fresh as can be.

Not only are cranberries beautiful strung as garland, incorporated into centerpieces or when used to create festive placeholders, but an impressive amount of nutrition can also be found inside these bite-sized berries. Cranberries are known as the “Original Superfruit” and may provide numerous health benefits, particularly from the vitamin C, fiber and plant compounds called proanthocyanidins, or “PACs” they contain.

Because of their unique nutrition profile, cranberries may help reduce the incidence of certain infections; promote heart health; protect the urinary tract; decrease inflammation associated with chronic disease and aging, and support digestive health, according to the Cranberry Institute.

Thankfully, you can enjoy cranberries past their short fresh season to reap these health benefits. A 10-ounce serving of 27% cranberry juice cocktail, a 1-ounce portion of sweetened dried cranberries and ½-cup canned cranberry sauce provide similar benefits as 1½-cups fresh or frozen cranberries.

While canned cranberry sauce can be a tasty staple for holiday dinners, it’s time to think outside the can and experience the true flavors of fresh cranberry. You won’t be disappointed!

Making your own whole cranberry sauce from scratch is a quick and easy way to create a new holiday tradition with lasting impact. From the sounds of popping berries to the sweet scent of cranberry, there truly isn’t anything like making fresh whole cranberry sauce. Get started with the Chai-Spiced Orange-Cranberry Sauce recipe from Yankee Magazine below.

Add cranberries to dishes guests would least expect. For the Rhodes family of Cape Cod Select, mixing their cranberries into all kinds of recipes is the norm. Their Cranberry Brussels Sprouts recipe featured below will make you a true believer of the power of sweet and sour at your holiday meal.

Extend the cranberry love all the way through to dessert and wow family and friends. Whether added into baked goods or made into the topping for the creamy eggnog-inspired Cranberry Cheesecake recipe featured below, cranberries prove they have a place on holiday menus well beyond their can rings.