Cranberry Sauce

Until the pandemic, I had never done any canning by myself. I had time on my hands then, so I thought I’d try. I first did pickles, which are super easy. Since then, I’ve branched out.

For my holiday baskets and for home, I made cranberry sauce. This is the chunky style with a  little orange zest mixed in.  Our local Aldi had 12 oz bags of cranberries for $0.99 each. I got three because I needed 8 cups. The cranberries that I did not use are going in my simmering potpourri packets mentioned in my previous post.

Makes 8 half pints.

What You Need:

• 4 cups of water
• 4 cups of sugar
• 8 cups of cranberries
• zest of 1 orange, optional

What to Do:

• Prepare boiling water canner. I use a large pot. You do not need any specialized equipment. Add a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar to the water to reduce the chance of film building up on the jars during this process. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil.  Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside. I keep the lid flats in simmering water until ready to use. Generally when canning, if you are making hot filling all the components are hot, and if you are cold packing, the components are room temp.
• Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan. I use a stock pot because the cranberries will pop and make a mess if the pot is too small. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil hard for 5 minutes.  Add cranberries and  return mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until all berries burst, and liquid  begins to sheet from a metal spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in orange zest, if using, during the last few minutes of cooking. 
• Ladle hot cranberry sauce into hot jars leaving 1/4-inch head-space. Debubble. Wipe rims with white vinegar. Center lids on jars and apply bands, just to fingertip tight. Place jars in boiling water canner.
• Process jars in boiling water for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed. 
• For storing, remove rings, wash jars to remove any residue, label, and store in a cool, dry place.

Note: I learned the hard way. Don’t use white towels and cloths unless you are prepared to get the bleach out. Cranberries make some serious stains.