Healthy Natural Honey Cranberry Sauce Recipe

by happynutritionist

This is not only a recipe, but shares how the ingredients came from two vacations, including a Cranberry Bog, and a nice antique Cranberry sorter.

This recipe for Cranberry Sauce is great for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, and begins with a stop at a Cranberry Bog in Maine where the cranberries are gathered, sorted with an antique cranberry sorter, and taken home to the kitchen to make a delicious all-natural Cranberry Sauce.

Delight in the delicious flavor of Cranberry Sauce made not with sugar, but with a delicious raw honey from another vacation location that we like to visit each Spring, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Content by Claudia Meydrech a/k/a happynutritionist
New on Wizzley September 2015 ~ Updated 10/26/16

Cranberry Bog on Highway 1 in Maine

See Map Below for General Location

As we were traveling the roads of Maine, just driving wherever the road would take us, we saw this patch of red, and stopped to take a closer look. It was there that we met a husband and wife who operated a small cranberry farm. They had just finished harvesting large, plump cranberries from a few bogs on their land. This picture is after harvesting.

"Harvested" Cranberry Bog
"Harvested" Cranberry Bog
Copyrighted Image taken by me

We were staying in Ellsworth, Maine

We traveled east and west on Route 1 and came upon the County Road Cranberry Bog...I don't know whether it is there any longer. We head for the Acadia National Park region every time we go to Maine.

A bag of LARGE Cranberries

Larger than I had ever purchased before

While at the shop owned by an elderly husband and wife, I purchased a large bag of Cranberries, the picture shows me holding my bag of cranberries.

These were the largest sized cranberries I had ever purchased, and were freshly gathered and sorted.

I took them home and put them right into the freezer, where they provided me with Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas that year and the following, the recipe is coming up soon!

BIG Cranberries!

My big bag of fresh Maine Cranberries
My big bag of fresh Maine Cranberries
Image taken by me

Antique Cranberry Sorter

Copyrighted Photos - may not be used without permission

The owners of the farm, realizing that we were interested in how they processed the berries, took us inside to a room where they showed us their remarkable antique cranberry sorter. They have used it for many, many years to sort all of their berries…picking the bad berries from the batch one by one, sorting out the good into portions. They were in the process of sorting berries when we were there, the same way they have done for so very many years.

We really appreciated their kindness in letting us take a look at this, and then we took a short tour of the rest of this old family owned and operated cranberry farm.

Another View of the Sorter
Another View of the Sorter
Taken by Author
Cranberry Sorter
Cranberry Sorter
Image taken by me

Natural Home Made

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

 

Our Cranberry Sauce Recipe starts with the big bag of Fresh Cranberries pictured above.

 

1. Preparing the Cranberries

First, check the berries you plan to cook for any bad berries or foreign material.

You may want to do this in a colander. Give them a good rinsing to remove any dust.

2. Getting Ready to Cook the Cranberries

Use a pot that is large enough to hold the amount of berries you are going to cook.

Add the berries, and just enough water so that when boiled the berries will cook down.

The water you add is going to be part of the sauce.

Don't cover the berries with water, as you don't want the sauce to be too thin.

3. Cooking the Cranberries

Bring the water and berries to a boil, and then adjust to a medium boil.

One of the fun things about cooking cranberries is hearing them "pop, pop, pop" as they burst during the cooking process.

You won't be cooking them long, so stay with them, stirring occasionally.

4. Add Raw Honey to Sweeten the Cranberry Sauce

We use raw Wildflower Honey made in Lancaster County, PA that we purchase when in the area on another vacation during the Spring. It adds a unique flavor and everyone that has tried the cranberry sauce seems to love it.

The amount of honey to add here is approximate – if you use 5 cups of berries, start with 1/2 – 1 cup of honey. Add, stir, and taste, then add more if needed, until it tastes just a bit too sweet, because when the sauce cools, the tartness comes out more..cranberries are naturally quite sour.

Raw Honey is also available online

YS Eco Bee Farms RAW HONEY - Raw, Unfiltered, Unpasteurized - Kosher 3lbs

Naturally Crystallized, Energy Packed, True Raw State, Our Honey Is Never Forcefully Processed To Make Creamy (Spreadable)

View on Amazon

YS Organic Bee Farms Certified Organic Raw Honey 100% Unprocessed, Unpasteurized - Kosher 32oz 2 ...

As the world pioneer in certified organic bee farming, we have the true knowledge of quality differences of floral sources and regions. We have searched the world and traveled t...

View on Amazon

I thought you'd enjoy a picture from the area where we buy our raw honey

Copyrighted photo taken by me, please ask if you would like to use this photo
Amish horse and carriage
Amish horse and carriage
Image taken by me

5. When is the Cranberry Sauce Ready to Cool?

Once the berries have cooked down, and you like the flavor, your done cooking. It shouldn't take more than 20-30 minutes depending upon cooking temperature. It's now time to decide whether you are going to can your sauce, or cool the cranberry sauce in the refrigerator to serve with a meal right away...I like to make mine the day before it will be served so it is nice and cold.

6. Storing and Serving your Cranberry Sauce

Store cranberry sauce in clear, glass serving or storage bowl(s) so that the beautiful color of the berries shows through and keep the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The sauce firms as it cools and becomes the consistency you would expect of whole Cranberry Sauce. It will be ready to serve when you are ready to eat.

Do you buy or make your Cranberry Sauce?

Other Cranberry Sauce Recipes on Video

Cranberry Bog Fine Art Print

I hope you try and enjoy my recipe!
Trademark Fine Art Cranberry Bog White Matte Archival Paper Artwork...
Updated: 10/26/2016, happynutritionist
 
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Guestbook: Do you eat Cranberry Sauce during the holidays?

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happynutritionist on 09/09/2015

@CruiseReady I have heard of using orange juice, but haven't tried it yet. Will have to look for a recipe for that. Thanks for the visit!

CruiseReady on 09/09/2015

My husband makes a mean cranberry sauce at the holidays, and everyone loves it. I'll be it would be even better with cranberries from this couple's farm. He sweetens his with orange juice ... gives it a bit of a tropical taste.

happynutritionist on 09/05/2015

@blackspanielgallery when I stopped using sugar in our home years ago, raw honey was a healthy alternative and I still use it, as well as stevia, depending upon the recipe. Honey is just right for this one.

happynutritionist on 09/05/2015

@candy47 As I won't be getting to Maine this year, I will be doing the same. I would love to know your recipe for cranberry juice, will have to see if you've done a wizzley on that...if not, maybe you will? ;-)

blackspanielgallery on 09/04/2015

Cranberry honey is an interesting concept. I would have not thought to pair the two.

candy47 on 09/04/2015

I buy cranberries when they are on sale around the holidays then freeze them and make sauce and juice anytime of year.

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