Before Halloween, Stacy Conradt filled us up with trivia treats about our favorite sweets. She’s back again for another food series leading up to Thanksgiving.
1) At the end of the Beatles song “Strawberry Fields Forever” from the Magical Mystery Tour album, John Lennon mutters “cranberry sauce.” There was no intended meaning to this; it was just supposed to add to the surreal feeling of the song.
2) A can of whole-berry cranberry sauce contains about 99 cranberries.
3) Irish band The Cranberries were originally named “The Cranberry Saw Us,” (cranberry sauce).
4) Cranberries are harvested by flooding the cranberry beds. A machine goes through and removes the berries from the vines. The harvested berries then float on top of the water and can be rounded up easier.
5) You can always buy cranberry sauce – a lot of people like to plop it out of the can directly to a plate because it holds the shape of the can perfectly, ridges and all. But if you’d like a more… wholesome alternative, here’s a recipe for you.
Tomorrow: Sweet potatoes.
Comments (20)
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I had heard John say it was “Blueberry Pie” on The song.
posted by gus on 11-19-2007 at 2:08 pm
I love cranberry sauce, the homemade stuff particularly. I didn’t even know the canned stuff existed until I spent a thanksgiving with friends in college.
posted by jenny on 11-19-2007 at 2:33 pm
The Beatle’s song “Strawberry Fields Forever” did end with John saying “Cranberry Sauce” in a slurred, drawn-out manner. This was about the time of the “Paul is dead” rumor and many heard it as “I buried Paul”. I always thought that being ironic in suggesting that the strawberry fields were actually strawberry.
posted by harold on 11-19-2007 at 2:36 pm
I dearly LOVE the jellied cranberry sauce (pictured) probably because that’s what I grew up with…I don’t like crunchy things in my cranberry sauce…ugh…I like to eat it year-round, its good sliced and put on a turkey sandwich too…
posted by donner on 11-19-2007 at 2:43 pm
I actually love the cyllindrical shaped canned stuff- we slice it in half longways then slice it up- year round goodness!
But on the Turkey Day, we also have whole berry home made stuff- chunky sweet goodness.
posted by qt314159 on 11-19-2007 at 2:47 pm
The only way I like cranberries is in juice form – with vodka
posted by Erin on 11-19-2007 at 2:53 pm
Erin, you’re a girl after my own heart.
posted by stacy on 11-19-2007 at 3:07 pm
I totally agree with Erin. The only way I would drink cranberry juice is with vodka.
posted by Kashfia on 11-19-2007 at 3:12 pm
All this talk about Thanksgiving has intrigued me regarding the whole concept of the huge dinner. As a non-American, I have never had a real Thanksgiving. I have turkey on Christmas but no cranberry sauce, pumkpin pie, etc. Maybe I should try it sometime?
posted by GTT on 11-19-2007 at 3:48 pm
It just isn’t Thanksgiving without the jellied cylinder of cranberry sauce, ridges and all.
posted by Ken on 11-19-2007 at 5:34 pm
GTT where are you from? You should come to Thanksgiving Dinner with my family. Turkey, ham, sweet potato crunch, green bean casserole, petit pois peas, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing, rice dressing, stuffed mushrooms, homemade bread, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, cakes, spinach/artichoke dip w/crackers and OF COURSE LOTS OF CRANBERRY SAUCE!!!!!
posted by pam on 11-19-2007 at 5:38 pm
Pam –
Can I come to your Dinner, too????
And CHEERS to those who agree with my cranberry juice comment. :)
posted by Erin on 11-19-2007 at 5:56 pm
Pam: I want to come to your Dinner too! I’ll bring Erin and she’ll bring the Vodka!
posted by Ellierosebrown on 11-19-2007 at 7:28 pm
Remember – cranberries are good for your urinary tract! Plain cranberry juice is a nice alternative to orange in the morning.
posted by Jill on 11-19-2007 at 9:07 pm
Actually, cranberries are only harvested by floating on the east coast. Over here on the west coast they use tractors and stuff. Not as cool but still delicious.
posted by Ashley on 11-20-2007 at 12:36 am
It wasn’t till Marlene entered our lives that I even knew that you could make cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries. We always served it from the can. Thanks Marlene!
posted by Terry on 11-20-2007 at 8:33 am
Even here on the east coast, some cranberries are dry-harvested using mechanical picking machines. It depends what you want to do with them. If they are going to be made into sauce or juice, they can be wet-harvested by flooding the field. But whole cranberries have a longer shelf-life if they are dry-harvested.
More cranberry trivia!
posted by Anne on 11-20-2007 at 10:21 am
Cranberry wine ain’t bad either.
posted by Beth on 11-20-2007 at 11:03 am
Many many years ago, my mother decided to make her own cranberry whole berry cranberry sauce. I refused to eat it. She was angry and asked me in a terse voice “What exactly it was that I wanted?” to which I replied “The good kind!!!!! The good kind that comes in a can!!!”
You see I was thrilled that I didn’t need a knife to cut it. It is a story my Mother is still embittered by this day.
posted by jen on 11-20-2007 at 12:14 pm
Pam- thanks for the invite but I think I had to loosen my belt just reading the list of food!!!
posted by GTT on 11-20-2007 at 2:49 pm