Fresh Organic Cranberry and Orange Jam

I like to include a wide variety of fruits and veggies in my diet and cranberries are a great healthy choice. This cranberry jam recipe is a quick and easy way to prepare fresh cranberries so they are conveniently available in your fridge. Serve the jam as a condiment or side dish without all the added sugar found in a lot of other cranberry products.

With the lower amount of natural sugar used in this recipe, the tartness of the cranberries comes through. I love the berries for their abundant health benefits in addition to enjoying their tart flavor. This is an easy way to fit cranberries into your diet. Spread some of the tasty jam on a piece of all natural whole grain bread and good quality butter for a satisfying breakfast or snack.

THE SIMPLE REAL FOOD INGREDIENTS!

The recipe calls for only four ingredients and is simple to make. The “West Coast Cranberry Company” fresh raw organic cranberries I found, the Supremes and juice from a medium orange, organic date sugar and organic cinnamon. I use organic whenever I can, since in most stores now the cost of organic items is similar to others.

Begin by rinsing and draining the cranberries and adding them to a medium saucepan. Supreme the orange and squeeze the juice from it and add to the saucepan. Supremes are sections of a citrus fruit with all of the peel and pith removed. Cut the peel and pith from the orange, then cut between the membranes to remove the fruit.

Then add the date sugar to the saucepan, the same amount of white sugar can be used if you don’t have date sugar on hand, also add the cinnamon to the saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down to medium low. Cook slowly, stirring and popping the cranberries against the side of the pan, for about 15 minutes.

Simmer until the berries are cooked down completely and the mixture has thickened to a jam consistency. Let the jam cool in the pan before serving or adding to a glass jar or decorative dish to store in your refrigerator. There are many ways to use the jam, sometimes I just have a tablespoon or two alone to get a bit of the terrific nutrients.

I spread some of the jam on a slice of artisan whole grain bread made by my nephew with some handmade butter from my niece and the combination was wonderful. They delivered their real food, handcrafted, made with love gifts to me for Christmas, generously driving all the way to my home to go for a walk and drop them off. So sweet!

Here’s another way to serve the jam, just spoon some of the cranberry, orange, date sugar jam over some organic plain nonfat Greek yogurt. Top with local honey, organic cinnamon and raw walnuts for a satisfying healthy snack or even a dessert. Cranberries are a Superfood that you should enjoy all year round. They have vitamin C and fiber and are high in antioxidants.