{"id":4491,"date":"2014-11-27T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2014-11-27T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=4491"},"modified":"2014-10-27T03:29:07","modified_gmt":"2014-10-27T07:29:07","slug":"happy-thanksgiving-lets-give-thanks-for-the-american-cranberry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/happy-thanksgiving-lets-give-thanks-for-the-american-cranberry\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Thanksgiving: Let\u2019s give thanks for the American Cranberry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"cranberries\"<\/a>

A picture of cranberries by Andrew Morrell on Flickr.com.<\/p><\/div>\n

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!<\/strong> Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Instead of writing specifically about this holiday, I am going to write about a very American fruit that is customarily eaten on this day. I\u2019m talking about the cranberry. If you don\u2019t know what a cranberry is, you need to read this post; if you don\u2019t know why cranberries are important on Thanksgiving, you need to read this post; and if you just want to something interesting to read, you should read this post!<\/p>\n

Cranberries are tart, red berries, which grow on a shrub (shrub = a kind of bush). Cranberries are a fruit that is native to America, so they are considered a \u201cnew world\u201d food. They grow best in cooler northern environments.\u00a0 They also grow in wet environments called \u201cbogs.\u201d A bog is wet muddy ground, similar to a swamp. Bogs occur on their own in nature, but they can also be made for farming purposes, such as for growing cranberries or rice.<\/p>\n

When they are fresh cranberries have an acidic, bitter, or tart taste that most people don\u2019t like very much on its own. They are very tart indeed, and usually need sugar to make them edible. Cranberries are often eaten in sauces or jams, which are usually made for Thanksgiving! Cranberry juice, which is sweetened with a lot of sugar is also popular. One of the most popular ways to eat cranberries today though is dried and sweetened. Dried cranberries are called Craisins.\u00a0 This word is a mix between the word c<\/strong>ranberry and raisin<\/strong> (craisin<\/strong>), because dried cranberries look a lot like raisins.<\/p>\n

\"robot<\/a>

A picture of a robot eating Craisins by Morgan on Flickr.com.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the reasons that cranberries are traditionally eaten with Thanksgiving dinner in the United States is because cranberries are harvested in the fall (not the summer) around the time of Thanksgiving. It is believed that cranberries were eaten at the first Thanksgiving dinner had by Native Americans and American pilgrims in the state of Massachusetts in 1621.<\/p>\n

You might also be interested to know that cranberries are considered a \u201csuper fruit,\u201d because they are full of antioxidants. They are also high in Vitamin C.\u00a0 Native Americans used cranberries to help heal wounds (i.e. cuts) and infections.<\/p>\n

Although cranberries are native to North America, they are now grown in other countries, usually cold Northern Hemisphere countries. It may be hard to find cranberries near you if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, but if you are able to find cranberries, here is a very simple recipe for \u201ccranberry sauce.\u201d Cranberry sauce is sure to be on most Thanksgiving tables today in America and I for one will be thankful to eat it!<\/p>\n

Cranberry sauce<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 \u00bd cups (or 12-ounce) fresh or frozen cranberries
\n1 cup sugar
\n1 teaspoon orange zest (zest = peel)
\n2 tablespoons water
\n\u2028Directions:\u2028\u2028<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Put half of your cranberries into a saucepan with the sugar, orange zest, and water.\u00a0 Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
\n2. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 10 more minutes, until the cranberries burst (burst = break open).
\n3. Reduce the heat to low.\u00a0 Stir in the other half of the cranberries to cook for 3-4 minutes.
\n4. Let cool before serving.
\n5. Enjoy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"robot

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Instead of writing specifically about this holiday, I am going to write about a very American fruit that is customarily eaten on this day. I\u2019m talking about the cranberry. If you don\u2019t know what a cranberry is, you need to read this post; if…<\/p>\n

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