Highbush Cranberry-Ginger Jelly

Highbush cranberries are not the easiest thing to make into jelly, and I should know, I’ve been testing this recipe for a couple years now, and am only sharing it after I finally got the hang of getting it to set. 

 

Here’s the skinny: highbush cranberries are acidic, and it can be hard to get the juice to set. If you’ve cooked with them before, you may be familiar with the two schools of juice extraction: cold and hot. A cold extraction of juice (mashing the berries or buzzing with a handblender and straining without heating) is the finest tasting, but I’ve found it difficult to set, especially without added pectin. A hot extraction (heating the berries with water to cover, the n buzzing and straining, can impart a subtle bitterness to the finished product from the seeds, but has a slightly higher, stronger yield in my experience. For all intents and purposes, know that you can use both methods here, but it will help if you’re an experienced jelly maker if you use cold extracted juice. If you prefer one method over the other, by all means, use what you prefer. 

 

 

The biggest thing that helped me though, was disavowing my tendency to adhere to old time jelly rules, specifically regarding setting temp. When I went back to check my recipe I’d liked from last year, I did a double take when my notes said to cook it to 225-230. With some jellies, especially if you add pectin, that temp can give you a stiff, pasty, opaque jelly. With high hush cranberries, I can pretty confidently say now that you’re going to need to go a little higher than the typical 220F standard setting temp to get the texture we all love. 

 

The other thing I think it’s important to mention about highbush cranberries is the flavor. First off, you need to make sure you’re using a species that tastes good, which is going to be Native American highbush cranberries, or Vinurnum trilobum. European highbush cranberries (Viburnum opulus) taste bitter, with an awful aftertaste like wet dog. A good highbush cranberry should taste pleasantly tart, with a hint of funk, not bitter and disgusting. 

 

Even with V. trilobum, tastes between different trees I’ve had can vary, and I’ll also mention that Sam Thayer has three different cultivars he’s named that all have enormous fruit and a fantastic flavor superior to any other highbush I’ve tasted. But, to get one of those, you’ll need to buy them from Foragers Harvest in the fall. If you attend the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival, Sam usually brings a few transplants to sell. 

 

 

Back to the flavor. High bush cranberries are tart, and beautifully red, but they don’t have the deep, rounded flavor of say, a raspberry. Basically, to me, highbush cranberries are Just nice, tart berries. Their similarity to cranberries is useful, and I like combining them with flavors cranberries like. Things like orange peel, cinnamon, and especially ginger are really good, and all of them are used here. A fine jelly should be crystal clear though, so, to impart flavors and add depth, I infuse the juice overnight with aromatics, and strain it out. It’s a great way to add a little extra character to what would otherwise be a beautiful, but mellow and sweet jelly. Oh, adding habanero peppers when you make the infusion, just one or two chopped up, makes for a nice kick, if you like that. The jelly is good with goat cheese, and other salty things. It’s also good melted and mixed with stock, mounted with butter to make a glaze for meat.