# Cranberries



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Have a question about Cranberries, does anyone have any experience preserving them? This being the only time of the year to get them fresh, we have been dehydrating them like crazy, have made a few jars of jellied cranberries but thats about it. I dont do any long term storage in the deep freeze, power could go out or freezer could stop working.

We add them to anything sweet potato and like tea made steeping them in boiling water, and add them to other tea blends. When TSHF they will be useful for UTI's and are good sources for vitamin c, k and potassium. Have about a 5 gallon bucket so far, never knew it took so many 1 pound bags to fill on of those buckets, up over 50 bags so far with some room left.

Are there any other practical ways to save em other than the above?


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

buy plants and grow them.. 
I've started some from seed before but unfortunately when they were quite small I forgot them during the summer and it only took two days without water in their flat to fry them.. I do want to try again but only when I can make them a nice small peaty area that will be more suited for them.. They just did not do that well in a flat in the green house.. too warm I think.
There are different types that grow in different areas also ... like Highbush cranberries..


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I have wondered if it would be possible to grow them here in North Texas, especially seeing all the seeds that gather in the bottom of the bowl when slicing them.

The next bag I slice, I will gather the seeds and give it a try. I will assume that they like acidic soil high in organics/compost? It may be a challange to meet that soil quality here in the sandy area I live in, but not impossibble.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

They do like a nice peaty mix.. plus do not drown them... They only flood the fields to pick them, sure they do like to be moist and in peaty loam but it is a common misconception that they like to grow in water.. all the pictures and commercials of the fields flooded really throw folks off... 
As for the other types of cranberries I am sure that they are a fruiting type of "viburnums" and going to a local green house may give you the type for your area. 
Plus if you do a bit of leg work there are all types of berries that grow that are not common and are very good for ya.. I know a few for up here in the North but would have to go and pick the brains of a good Texan "Red neck" friend of mine to see what he would recommend for Texas.. But I have to say we can come up with something...
But this is the busy time for me and I've been away from the computer off and on and if I don't remember this right off.. you remind me in January when the holiday season is past..

Less common fruits and berries planted around would be easily missed by zombies..


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Around here, just about the only berries that are common are Blackberries, "Brazosberries(larger type of blackberry) and strawberries. Despite what my girls ask me, I will not plant the blackberries, dont need a bunch of briars in the yard and strawberries just aren't suited for my particular soil and will not grow well even with amendments added.

I wanted fruit growing on my property so I planted pears which grow profusely, plums which grow very well and peaches that I am having some trouble with. I am going to go to the local Agricultural Extension Office and see if there is a veriety of apple which will produce here but since we dont have that much cold weather, dont know if any will.

I have some wild(Mustang) grapes growing on my fences, eaten plain they are almost unedible but with some sugar added make excellent juice and jelly. They can be picked green, before the seeds form and make good cobblers-similar to gooseberry. The green ones make good jelly also.

Soooo, any suggestions will be appreciated. You can never have too much fruit in your diet, especially when it cant/wont be found after TSHTF.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Cranberries and tea bushes are next on my "to grow" list. Just need to order them and get them in the ground.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

We have high land cranberries, we picked them up for a buck each, back a few years ago from a local garden shop.

I did think about this thread when I recived my last garden book ... R. H. Shumways has them for sale ... Garden Seed | Vegetable Garden Seed | Garden Seed Catalog | Garden Seed Company | R.H. Shumway's

Hope this helps...


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Well, the grocery stores are now marking down the cranberries, trying to get rid of them before they spoil, picked up 50 bags for $15.00 today. That is a full load for my dehydrator. Am going to make he rounds again tomorrow and try to get the same deal on that many more. $.30 per bag is the best price I have ever gotten them for.

Yes, we love cranberries and would eat them and drink tea made from them every day if they were available(just may be this year).


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

$.30 per bag ~ score! 

I going to wonder out today and see what I can find.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

Cranberries can be dehydrated. They either need to be steamed first to 'checker' the skin to facilitate drying or cut in half and then dried. I use option #2. I don't mind half-crans. They come out like home-dried raisins.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Up until yesterday I would sit down and cut each berry in half, but with 50 bags I reasoned that they would probably go bad or ferment before I got finished. 

I decided that to dump them into the food processor and and chop them. I just checked on them before I sat down here and the whole 50 bag batch is just about done now. I guess from now on that is going to be the way I'm going to go, especially if I am able to get 50 more bags this afternoon.


kappydell, I found out several years ago when I started drying them that they had to be sliced before they went into dehydrator, wound up with a lot of little pressurized cooked berries that no matter how long I them in, would not dry. Worth the time it takes to process em though.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Yea, blueberries are the same way. You need to break the skin and then dry them. Some folks steam them for a couple of minutes to do it. Maybe because the blueberries are more juicier than the cranberries.


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