Wild Cranberry Compote
Being a forager also means preserving what you have foraged. One great way to preserve wild cranberries is making wild cranberry compote. This is a simple yet effective way to preserve. It is very similar to cranberry sauce. I enjoy eating it in my oatmeal every morning. Every year I forage for wild cranberries and make this compote. I then jar it in a water bath canner. Here is my step-by-step recipe.
How to Make Cranberry Compote
Wild cranberry compote
This receipt is for 10 pint jars of compote.
You will need:
34 cups of cranberries
2 ½ cups of water
2 cups of sugar
You can always add more sugar if you like it sweeter.
The first step is to wash your cranberries.
The second step is to wash and sterilize your jars.
Make sure you wash jars and bands in soapy water. Rinse and sterilize jars and bands in simmering water for 15 min.
The third step is to cook your cranberries.
Put your washed cranberries, sugar, and water in a pot or two. Bring it to a boil and mash them with a potato masher. Allow the cranberries to burst open and develop a think pulp consistency. This should take about 15 min.
The fourth step is to pack your jars.
Now it is time to jar. Ladle compote into jars. Leave 1/4″ headroom for each jar. Make sure to wipe any excess compote off of jars.
The fifth step is to cap and process.
Place lids on jars and tighten with bands. Then place jars in canning tray and put into jarring pot and process in boiling water for 15 minutes.
The last step is to remove, cool, and label.
Remove jars from the canner and allow jars to cool down overnight. Check and see if all the jars are sealed by removing the bands and pressing the center of the lid. If the lid clicks back and forth, the jar is not sealed. Put that jar in the fridge and have it with your oatmeal the next morning.
Check out how I foraged for these cranberries here.
Here are the products I use when canning:
Granite Ware water-bath canners have been the standard for canning for over 100 years. The stepped design of our canners produces more even heat by allowing more boiling water contact with the top half of the jars. Used to elevate food temperature above 212-degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or more, which kills all the bacteria found in high acid fruits and vegetables. The water-bath canner creates a vacuum seal when the jars cool, sealing out air and bacteria.
Capture summer fruits and vegetables at their prime for enjoyment throughout the year by canning at home. Six essential tools for canning and dehydrating. A vinyl coated jar wrench, vinyl-coated jar lifter, extra-wide mouth funnel, tongs with vinyl coated handles, a bubble popper/measurer and a magnetic lid lifter all conveniently in one box.
Conclusion
I hope you try making some wild cranberry compote. Please feel free to leave some questions or comments.
I was never a big fan of cranberry sauce as I didn’t grow up eating it and most times when it was served elsewhere it came out of a can…yuck! Also, the amount of sugar in most recipes was definitely off putting. I’m liking your compote recipe as it doesn’t seem to have that much sugar compared to the quantity of raspberries.
Thanks. I am also off put by most recipes. They do add to much sugar. I like my cranberries a little tart. You can also add a little honey to sweeten it up.
That would make a very tart compote. I tend to can cranberry sauce in the fall. I’m going to have to do some more this year, but I’m definitely going tarter this year.