Posted on 11/23/2005 3:21:45 PM PST by SJackson
WAUSAU, Wis. -- Families planning a big Thanksgiving Day meal had no trouble finding fresh cranberries to complement the feast, but that may not be true for the Christmas holidays, say growers of the bright red, tart and tangy fruit.
"Buy two, freeze one. The old motto," said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, referring to bags of fresh cranberries now plentiful on grocery shelves.
Wisconsin, the nation's leading cranberry-producing state, harvested an average crop this fall, but yields were down in Massachusetts and Washington, leading to concerns of tighter fresh fruit supplies next month, particularly in areas outside the Midwest, Lochner said.
Ray Habelman Sr., co-owner of Habelman Brothers Co., which grows 650 acres of cranberries near Tomah, all for fresh markets, said demand for his crop was up in areas outside of Wisconsin.
"There could possibly be a shortage for the Christmas holidays," he said.
About 25 percent of the consumption of fresh cranberries, sauces and juices in the United States takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to Lochner.
Dan Servi, 53, of Wausau, said he and his wife would have cranberries with their Thanksgiving meal, but not the fresh ones. They preferred jelled cranberries from a can.
"The fresh ones are more bitter. The jelled ones are sweeter," Servi said. "It's like dessert while you are eating. Throw away the apple pie. I will eat the cranberries."
More than 90 percent of Thanksgiving dinners include cranberry sauce, according to Ocean Spray, an agricultural cooperative formed 75 years ago by three cranberry growers and now North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks.
Consumers eat nearly 11 billion cranberries each holiday season, Ocean Spray said.
About 45,000 acres of cranberries are grown each year in the United States, primarily in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington and Oregon.
Wisconsin's 250 growers harvested about 3.3 million barrels of cranberries, about the same as a year ago but about 10 percent below some early projections that proved too optimistic, Lochner said. A barrel is 100 pounds.
"We had a real good bloom in June and July, the fruit set well and sized up early. Those factors had people thinking it was going to be a little bit bigger than it was. It was still a good crop," he said.
Prices for the fruit have rebounded from $8 to $12 a barrel a few years ago to $25 to $30 a barrel. They are still far below the $65 average of 1998, Lochner said.
"I think generally growers are in pretty good spirits," he said.
Nodji VanWychen, co-owner of Wetherby Cranberry Co. in Warrens, said her farm harvested an average crop of good quality.
"I guess that's all we can expect," she said. "We did have difficulty on color on the fruit this year because we didn't have any cold evenings in the month of September, which starts the cycle of turning red."
Supplies of fresh cranberries are tighter because the industry lost Northland Cranberries of Wisconsin Rapids, one of the larger processors, VanWychen said.
But planners of holiday feasts need not fret too much, the grower said.
"If you are not able to find the fresh fruit, there's lots of variety of cranberry products that are made that can be easily used at the holidays," she said.
Dried cranberries really touch up a salad. People rave about them, so I'd recommend if you're taking a salad to a party or event, add some dried cranberries -- and also a dusting of sliced almonds.
By George, I think you've got it.
I'm boycotting.... like I do every year.
Thank you Jenny!!!!!
Hope you have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving.
Gabz
So, umm, mware. You forgot to include directions to your house in your reply post.
You know the rules!
I think gravy served in a bowl with a spoon is just fine. I mean, a bowl for each person. You can always dunk things in it if you want.
Thats what I'm talking about! Who needs a gravy boat when I can have my own little barge docked to my plate!
I bought 10 pounds (at a dollar a pound!) from the growers in my area in October. I have them in jellied form, in whole berry sauce form, and in the freezer.
I'm ahead of the game for ONCE in my life!
>>If you find yourself in Hammonton, NJ
Hammonton? Why I'm just up the road.
Shall we say, something twoish?
Actually, I'm out in Iowa, family's in Illinois and I have business to attend to Friday.
Choose firm, deep-red cranberries with glossy skins. Stem and sort. Wash and drain. Unsweetened cranberries freeze very well. To syrup pack, cover cranberries in freezer containers with a cold 50% syrup. Leave headspace. Seal, label, and freeze.
To puree cranberries, prepare as for freezing whole. Cook each quart of cran-berries in 2 cups of water until skins crack open. Press through a sieve. Add sugar to taste, about 2 cups for each quart of puree. Pack into containers, leaving headspace. Seal, label, and freeze.
I'll take that apple pie.
ROFL!!!!!
After this weekend I won't have any room in freezer for ANYTHING!!!!
This is my main cooking weekend for the rest of the year, I will be doing little else.....cookies, lasagna, bread, tamales, canneloni, cookies, cookies, and more cookies.
I knew it.. you are a unabashed slave to that little cookie monster.. cookies, lasagna, bread, tamales, canneloni, cookies, cookies, and more cookies.. LOL Happy Thanksgiving.. HUggggg
I love cranberries. I like making my own jelly ( no, I don't like the usual cranberry-orange recipes). And I love cranberry nut bread. The biggest disappointment in my life was when Kraft stopped selling the Neufchatel-pineapple spread that I slathered on it.
LOL!!!
My little cookie monster - BAH - thae cookies I make this weekend are for gifts.which reminds me, I forgot to add jelly to list of what I'm making this weekend :)
I may not be at your caliber of cooking expertise, but I sure can hold my own :)
Hugs and Happy Thanksgiving to you, my FRiend.
I never cared for the jellied canned cranberry sauce. My Grandmother made a relish, yes the kind with orange in it, that was tolerable, and the recipe provided to me earlier in the thread seems to be about the same as the one she made. So I am going to try that tomorrow.
How about making your own spread for the cranberry nut bread? which, BTW sounds wonderful.
Who needs a plate? Just the bowl of gravy with a few things floating in it.
Yum!
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