Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! The countdown and excitement begins as I’m daydreaming of gravy and stuffing and cranberry sauce. Until a few years ago, I would never even look at cranberry sauce. It legit looked disgusting–a can-shaped blob of pinkish, red gelatinous something or other. UNTIL my roommate in college came home with some leftover cranberry sauce that had REAL cranberries. Life changer. This stuff was tart and sweet and even looked beautiful, with chunks of cranberries marinating in its juices, reduced with sugar and cinnamon and clove. Now I look forward to the stuff every year. And, of course, why not try fermenting the cranberries to increase their nutritional value, adding probiotics, enzymes, and antioxidants! Fermentation is a natural preservation method, so it allows the leftovers to be good for two months or so in the fridge.
This is great to make ahead of time, too. It is one less thing you’ll have to do on Thanksgiving morning! Any flavors you associate with cranberries are fair game to throw in with this ferment: oranges, cinnamon, clove, cayenne, nutmeg, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, apples, ginger, raisins, brandy, etc. I wouldn’t do all of these together but definitely pick a few sweet and spice elements and go for it. You can leave the cranberries whole for a more robust condiment (which may take longer to ferment), or you can choose to puree them to make more of a sauce/jam. I prefer to do somewhat of a chunky puree, like a chunky cranberry jam. This makes for better leftovers in my opinion. Whenever you are longing for thanksgiving, you can bust out your jar and spread it on some toast–bringing you right back to thanksgiving day (minus the endless pile of dishes 🙂 )
1
servings10
minutes1-3
DaysThis Cranberry Sauce Recipe lasts up to 2 months in the fridge.
6 Cups Fresh Cranberries
0.17 Cup Orange Juice
0.25 Cup Water Kefir
0.50 TSP Ground Cinnamon
0.06 TSP Ground Clove
0.25 TSP Cayenne Pepper
0.25 Cup Honey
0.50 TSP Salt
Measuring Spoons
Blender
2 Quart Sized Mason Jars with Lids
Add all ingredients to a blender, reserving about 2 cups of cranberries to add later. Blend until smooth.
Add the reserved cranberries to the blender and pulse until the cranberries are roughly chopped.
Add mixture to a quart-sized mason jar and jiggle it to try and get all the air bubbles out. Place lid on jar.
Keep it on the counter for 48 hours. It is best to put it on a plate to catch overflow if it occurs. You can go longer than 48 hours if you’d like, just taste it and decide.
It should be bubbly and frothy! Throw it in the fridge to halt the fermentation. Serve on Thanksgiving along with your spread.
For leftovers, you can use it as a jam or even use it to flavor your kombucha or water kefir.
