The Craneberry

The Craneberry- so named by the Pilgrims because it's pink blossom reminded them of the heads of Cranes. The local Natives already had figured out they are good for you and made them a staple of their diet in Pemmican- a mash of dried berries, dried deer meat and melted animal fat. An early trail bar. The red juice was used to dye fibers to add some color to blankets and rugs. Who knows how the berry first came to grow on Cape Cod. Perhaps a bird dropped it and it took root in the sandy soil. Kettle ponds left from the passing of the last ice age filled with rotting vegetation and some became bogs. The berries liked bog land and sent out their woody tendrils. In the early 1800's a Captain Henry Hall of Dennis noticed the berries did better where the sand blew in over them and cultivation of the berry began. In 1820 he shipped 30 barrels of the red berries to New York City and they were a big hit.

CRANBERRY SALSA

2 cups whole cranberries 1 fresh jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
1/2 cup red pepper finely diced 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely diced 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt

Place cranberries in a food processor. Pulse a few times until chopped. Add everything else. Process until well mixed. Pour into serving bowl. Cover and chill over night. Serve with Thanksgiving dinner.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!