The Cranberry

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The Cranberry

• Health Benefits and Other Facts
• Presented by Brendan Russell

2
A Brief History

• Native peoples used cranberries as food, in
  ceremonies and medicinally.
• Revolutionary War veteran Henry Hall planted the
  first commercial cranberry beds in Dennis
  Massachusetts in 1816.
• Today cranberries are farmed on approximately
  40,000 acres (16,200 hectares) across the
  northern United States and Canada.

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What is a cranberry?

• The North American cranberry, Vaccinium
  macrocarpon, Aiton, is a member of the family
  Ericaceae that is composed of about 1350 species
  including Scotch Heather (Calluna vulgaris),
  Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) and Blueberries
  (Vaccinium augustifolium, V. corymbosum).
• Cranberries are a low-growing, vining, woody
  perennial plant with small, alternate, ovate
  leaves.
• The plant produces stolons (horizontal stems) up
  to 6 feet (2 m) long. Short vertical branches, or
  uprights, 2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm) in height,
  grow from buds on the stolons and these can be
  either vegetative or fruiting. Each fruiting
  upright may contain as many as seven flowers.
  Pollination is primarily via domestic honey bees.

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How do we get cranberries?

• The majority of cranberries are harvested between
  September and October, and occurs in one of two
  ways.
• Wet harvest (most common) bogs or fields are
  flooded and berries are beaten off vines by a
  special machine. Then the floating cranberries
  are gathered and shipped to packaging plants.
  This fruit is used for juices and other processed
  cranberry products.
• Dry harvest fruit is combed from the plants
  using a picker. This dry harvest fruit is used
  as fresh fruit in markets

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Nutrient Breakdown

• Nutritional Composition of Cranberries100g (1
  cup) fresh cranberries
• Calories................46kcal                 
           
• Protein..................0.4g
• Fats......................0.7g                   
            
• Carbohydrates......10.8g
• Fiber....................1.4g                    
           
• Calcium................7.0g
• Phosphorus ..........6.0mg                   
        
• Sodium.................2.0mg
• Magnesium...........4.5mg                  
          
• Potassium.............67.0mg
• Iron......................0.2mg                  
          
• Vitamin A.............40.0 IU
• Vitamin C.............11.0mg               
           
• Folic Acid.............2.0mcg  

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Why Should We Eat Cranberries?

• Cranberries have long been valued for their
  ability to help prevent and treat urinary tract
  infections. Now, recent studies suggest that this
  native American berry may also promote
• gastrointestinal and oral health
• prevent the formation of kidney stones
• lower LDL and raise HDL (good) cholesterol
• aid in recovery from stroke
• help prevent cancer

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Recipe 1 (My Favorite!)

• Cranberry Sauce
• Cranberry Sauce is a favorite dish to serve with
  holiday meals. This very quick recipe will make
  it easy for you to add this delicious
  accompaniment to your meal without much effort.
• Prep and Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
  1 12oz bag of fresh or frozen cranberries1 cup
  fresh orange juice1 tsp minced fresh ginger1
  tsp minced orange zest¼ tsp cinnamon½ cup
  crushed pineapple½ cup honey
• Directions
• Bring orange juice, ginger, zest and cinnamon to
  a boil on high heat in a medium saucepan.
• Rinse cranberries and add once liquid is boiling.
  Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for
  about 10 minutes.
• Add crushed pineapple and honey. Remove from heat
  and cool.Yields 2 cups

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Recipe 2

• Baked Cranberry Apples
• Ingredients 1/2 cup dried cranberries1
  tablespoon grated orange zest1/2 teaspoon ground
  cinnamon2 tablespoons Calvados1/4 cup chopped
  walnuts  4 large Golden Delicious apples1/2 cup
  maple syrup1 cup nonalcoholic apple cider1 cup
  fresh cranberries2 tablespoons butter
• Directions 1. In small bowl, combine dried
  cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon and Calvados
  let stand 15 minutes. Stir in walnuts. 2.
  Meanwhile, using melon baller, generously core
  apples almost to bottom, leaving base intact.
  Pare off 1-inch wide strip of peel around core at
  top. Place apples in 9-inch square baking dish.
  3. Stuff dried cranberry mixture into apple
  cavities. Pour maple syrup over top apples. Pour
  cider into baking dish. Sprinkle fresh
  cranberries around apples. Dot apples with
  butter. 4. Bake apples, uncovered, at 375-F for
  40-45 minutes or until tender, basting every 15
  minutes. 5. Serve apples in bowls, spooning some
  of the cider sauce and cranberries over top.
  Serve remaining sauce separately.
• Number of Servings 4

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The Band
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References

• http//www.whfoods.com/
• http//www.itsaruby.com/
• http//www.alderlakecranberry.com
• http//www.bremnerfoods.com
• http//www.cranberryinstitute.org/
• Photo credit given to the sites above