Holiday Taste Sensation From Oregon - Cranberries!

Holiday Taste Sensation From Oregon - Cranberries!
From the cranberry relish we serve with our holiday turkey to the popcorn and cranberry chains adorning Christmas trees to the sparkling cranberry punchbowl at our New Year's party, nothing says holiday to our family like the tangy crisp taste of cranberries. There are only a few places with the perfect growing conditions for cranberries and Oregon's southern coast is one of them. Come take a look at how this ruby colored fruit enriches the holidays for everyone.

Bandon is the home of cranberry farming in Oregon, having been brought to the area by Charles McFarlin in 1885 from Massachussetts, the leader in cranberry production. The other states with significant cranberry crops are New Jersey, Wisconsin and Washington. Contrary to popular belief, cranberries are not grown in water, but the farmers do flood the bogs in order to easily harvest the berries. Cranberries have four air pockets in them, causing the fruit to float in water. The harvesting machines then skim the surface of the bogs plucking the gorgeous fruit.

While 95% of the cranberries harvested are juiced, the remainder is made into a wide variety of products including candies, jams, jellies, relishes, wine, soap, candles, and my favorite - dried berries that can be substituted in many recipes for raisins or just eaten by themselves.

A number of Oregon companies have taken advantage of the tangy fruit to flavor or scent their products. The Stash Tea Company makes an herbal cranberry tea that is very refreshing, The Cranberry Sweets Company in Bandon has a whole line of cranberry candies that are irresistible, and the Mood Lighting Candles Company makes cranberry colored and scented candles to brighten any room.

Many of Oregon's fine restaurants and inns have incorporated cranberries into their menus. The Pine Tavern in Bend serves a Medallions of Pork with an Oregon Cranberry and a roasted red onion sauce, the Falcon's Crest Inn at Government Camp makes a delicious Cranberry butter, and the Chetco River Inn has a terrific recipe for Oregon Biscotti made with hazelnuts and cranberries.

If all this has your taste buds popping, then take a look at the cranberry recipes on the Hursts Berry Farm website. There's a delicious cranberry soup recipe that I can't wait to try. I hope that you find something to tempt your tummy too !

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