More Cranberry!

Assalamu'alaikum everyone! hoping all of you are in a good condition and stay safe during this hard time. So this posting is actually a continuation of my previous post, i will share more info about cranberry. To be exact i will be sharing the method of harvesting cranberry and some interesting recipe that you can try it on your own! 

Method of harvesting cranberry

 

Like other fruitful bushes such as blueberry, cranberry also dry-picked using specialized mechanism, this method is known as dry harvesting. However by times people discovered another way to harvest the cranberry which is known as wet harvesting. Below i will let you know how dry harvesting and wet harvesting of cranberries is done.

Dry harvesting

Farmers use a mechanical picker that looks like a giant lawnmower to dry out the harvest cranberries. The picker combes the berries with moving metal teeth off the vine, and then a conveyor belt brings the berries to a receptacle at the machine 's rear. Those receptacles are either emptied by hand into "bins" or removed by helicopter from the bogs. The fresh cranberries sold in your supermarket's section of produce are mainly picked by the dry process. Such cranberries are most commonly used for baking and cooking. Below is the video how it is done.

Wet harvesting

Wet harvested berries are mainly used for processed foods, juices, sauces and appetizers. Wet harvesting actually starts the evening before harvest. The grower must fill the typically dry bog with water of up to eighteen inches. Water reels, called "egg beaters," are used the next day to churn up water in the bogs. The cranberries are loosened from the stems, falling onto the water bed. They are loaded into trucks and are corralled. The berries are then delivered to a central reception station, where they are thoroughly sorted. Below is a reference video how wet harvesting is done.

Additional facts:

Cranberries are measured according to various attributes: colour, size and freshness to name a few. Perhaps the most fascinating way to judge berries is whether they bounce. Cranberries have inside pockets of air which make them float and bounce. When a cranberry is damaged or rotten, it won't bounce. This special cranberry property was first noted by an early New Jersey grower, John "Peg-Leg" Webb, He could not take his berries down from the loft of his barn where he kept them, because of his wooden leg. Instead, he would spill them down the stairs. He soon noticed that only the firmest fruit bounced down to the bottom; on the steps remained the rotted and bruised berries. His findings led to the creation of the first separator for the cranberry bounce boards.

CRANBERRIES RECIPE

1. Cranberry orange muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour + 2 teaspoons for coating fresh cranberries, if used
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh cranberries or 1 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Spray muffin tins with bakers spray or coat well with shortening or butter and flour, making sure to discard any excess flour from the tins after coating.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Toss together fresh cranberries and 2 teaspoons of flour to coat cranberries in a separate bowl. Set aside. If using dried cranberries, simply skip this step.

4. Cream together butter and sugar until lightened in color, about 3 minutes. Add an egg, one at a time, taking care to fully incorporate before adding the other. Mix in vanilla and orange zest.

5. Gently fold in flour mixture, alternating with milk. Stir until just combined. Fold in cranberries (fresh or dried) and scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

6. Prepare orange glaze topping for muffins while the muffins are baking by stirring together until well-combine

7. Once muffins have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin. Then, remove each muffin and drizzle with orange glaze. Place onto a plate to finish cooling or serve slightly warm.

2. Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida) (You can also make them half whole wheat and half All Purpose Flour)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or vanilla extract
• ¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

2. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Mix in the flour mixture, vanilla and dried cranberries until just incorporated.

4. Gather dough together and keep it in the bowl covered and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes to chill. This will make it easier to roll and cut the cookies.

5. Preheat oven to about 180 degrees C (~350F) . Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicon mat.

6. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut the dough into desired shapes using a cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking tray and keep in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. This will help your cookie keep it's shape and not spread while baking.

7. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until cookies turn lightly brown on sides.

8. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet. They will be soft when you take them out of the oven. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely and then store in an airtight container.

9. This dough also freezes well if you don’t wish to bake all of the cookies together.

Thats all for my postings about Cranberry, hope it helps to upgrade your knowledge about it. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next posting!