[Recipe] Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Ground Cherries

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was slightly disappointing, as I usually use the long weekend to finish up the last of the garden tasks and yard cleanup for the year, but the January-like weather prevented much outdoor activity this week. I'm hoping for a warmup in December, so I can complete the outstanding mulching and other cleanup...

Meanwhile, we enjoyed a delicious and - as usual - overly bountiful feast filled with lots of garden goodness, as well as cozy evenings by the fire, and kitty snuggles with Sebastian and Seymour (who are very excited to be allowed in the house occasionally during the cold weather). I'm sharing one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you below - save it for next year, or enjoy it with holiday ham or Turkey in December!

Homemade cranberry sauce has a freshness that just can't be beat by store-bought, and the ground cherries add a layer of sweet, caramel flavor that pairs excellently with turkey, chicken, or pork. 

This is a super-easy recipe, and it's great to make ahead, as it will need time to chill and thicken before serving anyway. I usually make it the night before and just refrigerate until it's time to eat.

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This recipe works very well with either frozen or fresh ground cherries, which we always have an abundance of in the fall. Ground cherries take a bit longer to break down than cranberries (especially if using frozen), so be sure to cook them for a few minutes before adding the cranberries. 

Feel free to experiment with the recipe below - you can easily vary the ground cherry-to-cranberry ratio, add more or less sugar, a pinch of cinnamon or other spice of choice, or even a splash of vanilla! If you don't have orange juice, just substitute water instead.

Homemade Cranberry-Ground Cherry Sauce Recipe

Time: 15 Minutes (+ 4 hours to chill, or overnight)
Yield: 2 Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen ground cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice (or water)
• 1 TB Cointreau or other orange liqueur

Instructions:

1. Place the ground cherries in a saucepan over medium heat, along with 1/4 cup orange juice or water.
2. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes, until the ground cherries start to soften. If you like, you can mash them slightly with a potato masher. 
3. Rinse the cranberries, and add them to the pan, along with the sugar and Cointreau and any spices or other seasonings you may want to add. 
4. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until cranberries begin to break down and mixture is slightly thickened. 
5. Pour into a serving vessel or glass bowl, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

This has become my go-to cranberry sauce for the holidays. It's easy, delicious, and super simple, plus the addition of ground cherries helps the cranberries stretch further. (We don't like to buy a lot of cranberries since conventional cranberry farming can be environmentally destructive, and cranberries can be expensive if buying organic.) Adding the ground cherries makes use of something we already have a lot of, while also adding a delicious twist to a holiday classic!

If you grow (or have access to) ground cherries, give this recipe a try, and let me know how you like it!

Happy Holidays!  :-) 

Rose.