“Cranberry Hole Road” is as aptly named as “Two Holes of Water Road” or “Highway Behind the Lots.” The area (Amagansett-Napeague) abounds in cranberries. Figuring Ocean Spray would be available if our mission failed, we set off for Napeague to go cranberrying. Truly pick your own, nature’s gift.
Somewhere in boggy Napeague, between highway and ocean, we found them. They are on the ground, pinkish to deep crimson, often under a matting of grasses and amid a dense carpet of tiny spriggy stems, barely visible until you bend down. There is no chance of confusing them with some other, less edible species, but do notice the bright orange mushrooms that grow among them (I can’t vouch for the mushrooms as food, so only notice them). Pick the firm cranberries. Cranberries are also called “bounceberries” because a test of ripeness is whether they will bounce when dropped onto a hard surface. They will keep for a long time. The Ocean Spray people suggest freezing them, whole, for a continuous supply.
Her Whole Class
There were several other pickers that day, including two ladies from Hampton Bays. One was collecting her berries in a lovely antique basket, a bit of old Americana. The other lady, Mrs.
Francis Tucker, is a teacher at the Quogue School. She said that she usually brings her whole class to pick cranberries (as well as bayberries for candlemaking) but this year she had too many students: “Maybe next year, if I get a smaller class.”
Mrs. Tucker’s plans for her cranberries were roughly the same as ours. Here is her recipe. (Be sure to wash your cranberries well and pick them over to eliminate sundry flora.)
Mrs. Tucker's Cranberry Jelly
Boil together about 15 minutes, or until they all pop:
4 cups cranberries
2 cups water
Strain and mash through a fine sieve, cheese cloth, or jelly bag. Boil the juice again, eight to ten minutes with:
2 cups sugar
Pour into jelly jars and refrigerate (it keeps a long time) or into sterilized jars and seal. Makes two cups.
The recipe is perfect and couldn’t be simpler. Not content with perfection, however, I varied Mrs. Tucker’s formula and made whole cranberry sauce. The result is more sauce than jelly, but it thickens as it cools.
Whole Cranberry Orange Sauce
Boil together 15 minutes, or until the skins pop (you may have to regulate the heat so the mixture doesn’t boil over):
4 cups cranberries
2 cups orange juice
Add: 2 cups, sugar
Boil another ten minutes, pour into jars, and store in refrigerator or pour into sterilized jars and seal. Makes four cups.
