sprinklefingers

my love for cranberries grown (with love) by the vincent family is no secret.
i’m 100% positive they are grown in magic bogs. they are sprinkled with magic yummy dust each night by cranberry sprites. this kind of trickery is the only way i can explain the delight that is a cranberry from the vincent family farm.

honestly, they’re that good.

back when i first saw fresh vincent cranberries at the market, i nearly passed out. or started jumping for joy. i really can’t remember now - the happiness i felt sort of took over my brain. when i saw the fresh berries i promptly bought 4 bags…not because i needed them but because i wanted to stock my freezer with them (you know, for emergencies. hmmm.)

let me tell you, i’m so glad i plan ahead. it’s because of my planning ahead that i was able to whip up some cranberry jam first thing in the morning and then pack that very same jam into a delicious lunch that afternoon.

before i get to the jam recipe, i want to describe the experience of cooking with a vincent cranberry. those of you who’ve made even the simplest cranberry sauce before can agree with me that it’s an interesting experience - once the cranberries get hot enough they sort of pop open and then bit by bit melt down into the sauce. vincent cranberries? they do the popping - but the way they turn from whole berries into a jammy mixture is just - in a word - velvety. the beautiful cranberries seeds, the crazy beautiful rich red color - these berries put all others to shame with their amazing texture. no kidding.

so, vincent family, i don’t know what you’re doing to these berries to make them this way (cranberry sprites, right?) but you most definitely should keep doing what you’re doing. please.

amen.

orange & cranberry jam
makes approximately 24 oz

you need:

• 12 oz fresh cranberries
• 1 cup vanilla sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 - 1/2 t cinnamon, depending upon taste
• 1 T freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 - 1 T freshly grated orange zest, depending upon how orangey you want your jam to taste. 1 T will make it very orangey.

to make the jam:

1. rinse your cranberries well.
2. in a medium sized saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cinnamon, juice, zest and a pinch of salt. bring to a boil.
3. add the cranberries and stir to combine.
4. bring the mixture back to a boil then reduce the heat so that a light simmer is maintained. let the berries cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. after 10 minutes take a peek at the berries - they should be melting apart and getting all jammy. if you like the consistency you see, remove the berries from the heat. if you’d like the jam to be thicker, continue to cook for up to 2 minutes, watching that it doesn’t start to stick and burn on the bottom of the pan.
6. once your jam is finished, remove it from the heat and transfer it to glass jars. attach the lids and let cool on the countertop.
7. once cool, place in the refrigerator - the jam will last 4 weeks or more.

ps: no, i don’t know the vincent family. but i do admire them from afar.

vincent family cranberries.
now available fresh.
excuse me while i squeal with excitement.