I’m not a huge fan of cranberry sauce and normally avoid it at Thanksgiving but I definitely love baking with them! My husband enjoys cranberry juice (I tend to drink it rarely) so when I came across a recipe for homemade cranberry juice, I thought I would try it. I had leftover cranberries and opted to start cranberry tincture (for medicinal purposes) and make two loaves of cranberry bread.
I started with the cranberry juice to see how many cranberries I would have left (if any). Prepped my jars and made space on my counter for another project. It did take quite a bit of sugar for each quart size jar but it was super simple with just the addition of the cranberries and boiling water.
What you’ll need:
Canning Supplies and Water Bath Canner
Canning Jars – Quart Size (I use Ball brand)
Cranberries
Granulated Sugar
Stock Pot/Large Pot with Boiling Water
I added the washed cranberries to my quart jars first, then sugar. First add 1 ½ cups of cranberries and then a ½ cup of sugar. Lastly, fill your jars with hot water to within a 1 inch headspace. Wipe jar rim with cloth and a little bit of white vinegar. Place lids on jars and tighten bands to fingertip tight (do not over tighten).
Then place your jars into prepared water bath canner. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then removed jars, cool and store. I shake mine several times before storing. Wait approximately 6 weeks and then open, drain and enjoy. After draining, cranberries may be used for fruit leather.
You can also freeze your cranberries before placing in your quarts and beginning the process. If we enjoy the cranberry juice, I will try that way next since there is less of a risk of creating cranberry jelly.
The cranberry tincture I started also has to be stored for 6 weeks prior to straining and placing in tincture vials. It consists of cranberries and vodka (or vegetable glycerin for kids). I crushed my cranberries using my mortar and pestle then placed them in the jar to fill approximately halfway. I then covered the crushed cranberries with vodka. Shake intermittently (several times per week) for 6 weeks prior to straining into a tincture vial.
Lastly, I took the remaining leftover cranberries and made 2 loaves of cranberry bread. I’ll be adding a recipe post for those interested in trying it themselves!
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