Nutrition & Health
Central Sierra: Home Preserved Cranberry Sauce is a Real Treat
Preserve It! A Fruit from the Bogs!
From the bogs and swamps of the northeastern part of the country comes a fruit widely used for those family gatherings this time of year. Sure, in a pinch, you could purchase one of those iconic cans of cranberry sauce from the grocery, but why not can and preserve your own? This is a treat that even experienced cooks sometimes overlook though it never fails to brighten a table.
Cranberry sauce is more than an accompaniment to a traditional turkey dinner. It also pairs nicely with chicken, as a sandwich spread, over cheesecake, or an ice cream topping. Take a spoonful or more of your home preserved cranberry sauce, add a vinegar and some oil, perhaps some chopped fresh herb or spices, and shake well – now you have a unique salad dressing for the evening. This recipe comes from Bernardin Home Canning.
Whole Cranberry Sauce
Makes 10-12 half-pints
Ingredients for cranberry sauce
8 cups fresh cranberries
4 cups water
4 cups granulated sugar
Directions for making and canning cranberry sauce
Prepare boiling-water canner or atmospheric steam canner. Heat cleaned jars in canner until ready to use, do not boil (simmering water at 180 degrees F). Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
Rinse and sort cranberries, discarding ones that are shriveled, soft, wrinkled or have surface blemishes.
Combine sugar and water in a large stainless-steel saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil; boil five minutes. Add cranberries. Return mixture to a boil; continue cooking without stirring until skins burst.
Ladle hot sauce into a hot jar to half-inch of top of jar (headspace). Remove air bubbles if needed; adjust headspace. Wipe jar rim well removing any food residue. Center lid on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining sauce.
Water must cover jars by at least one inch in boiling water canner or come to the base of the rack in a steam canner. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil in a boiling-water canner or until there’s a steady stream of steam coming from the steam canner for 1 minute before starting to count processing time. At altitudes 0-1000 feet process 10 minutes, 1001-3000 feet process 15 minutes, 3001-6000 feet process 20 minutes, 6001-8000 feet process 25 minutes, over 8000 feet process 30 minutes.
Turn off heat. For boiling water canner, remove lid and let jars stand five minutes. For atmospheric steam canner, let canner sit undisturbed for five minutes, then remove lid. Remove jars (keeping upright) and cool on a toweled (protected) work surface for 12-24 hours. Do not retighten screw bands. After cooling, check lids for seal (they should not flex when center is pressed). Remove screw bands, wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label, date, and store in a cool dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
This article by UC Master Food Preserver of El Dorado County, Laurie Lewis, originally appeared in the Mountain Democrat in November 2025.
During the holidays, or any time of year, the UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County are a great resource for answers to your food safety and preserving questions. Use the link to "Ask an MFP" and someone will get back to you soon with an answer that is backed up by science and researched best-practices.
