4 • November 2015 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. BELLES OF THE BOG


Cloverdale, CA. ~ Ancient no- mads picked and ate bilberries while roaming the trails. The bilberry is a species of the ge- nus Vaccinium which includes blueberries and cranberries. Those two berries, plus the Concord


three native fruits found originally on


ican soil. Native Americans were the


fi rst to take advantage of the cranberry. Early on, they dis- covered the berries use as a food, as a fabric dye for rugs and blankets, and as an agent in the healing of arrow wounds. By the mid 16th century one of their most popular dishes was pemmican, a high protein combination of dried deer meat, melted fat and crushed cranber-


grape, are the ry Hull became the fi rst farmer to successfully culti- vate cranberries.


North Amer- Four years later


were being shipped


they to


England, for sale.


In 1845 an “Act for the Pro- tection of Cranberries on Gay Head” was fi led by the Gay Head Indians of Martha’s Vine- yard. By that time whalers and sailors were taking cranberries on their voyages, to ward off scurvy. A one hundred pound


Eat Well & Prosper!


by Executive Chef Ron Skaar ronskaar@comcast.net ~ 707-490-7636


ries. The cranberry has helped sustain Americans for hundreds of years. Native Americans be- gan sharing their knowledge of the cranberry with the newly arrived pilgrims, around 1620. Sixty years later these settlers bottle their fi rst cranberry juice. In 1816 Captain Hen-


barrel of cranberries sold for fi fty-eight cents in 1868. Three years later the fi rst association of cranberry growers is estab- lished in Massachusetts. The cranberry separating ma- chine was patented in 1912, the same year cranberry sauce be- came available.. The perennial vine was na- tive to low swampy areas


of the north-


ern states from New England to the Mid- west. Today Cape Cod and the nearby island of


Nantucket are considered the original home of the cranberry. On the other side of the conti- nent, cranberries grow in bogs along the cool Pacifi c coastline. Cranberries do not grow on water. The bogs they thrive in


were created by glacier deposits layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay.


These bogs have ditches


around the outside and down the middle which can be fl ood- ed to prevent frost and for in- sect control. At harvest time the water level is raised to fl oat the berries, which have little air pockets inside, to the surface, to be gathered. Farmers across the country harvest over 40, 000 acres of cranberries each year, with Massachusetts accounting for one third of that production. Cranberries are highly acidic, only lemons and limes contain more. They are also packed with phenolic compounds, those benefi cial antioxidants. The pigment precursor in cran- berries (and blueberries) helps prevent bacteria from sticking to various tissues in our bod- ies, especially in


urinary tract


infections. Rich in pectin, the barely


cooked cranberry puree will thicken almost immediately. Dried


cranberries have be-


come stalwarts in salads, sweets and for snacking. The accompanying recipe is usually studded with blueber- ries, using fresh cranberries makes it spectacular.


JOKES & Humor # 2


A young man was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when he noticed an old lady follow- ing him around. Thinking nothing of it, he ignored her and continued on. Finally he went to the checkout line, but she got in front of him. “Pardon me,” she said, “I’m sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable. It’s just that you look just like my son, who just died recently.”


the young man, “is there anything I can do for you?”


“Yes,” she said, “As I’m leaving, can you say ‘Good bye, Mother!’ ? It would make me feel so much better.” “Sure,” answered the young man.


As the old woman was leaving, he called out, “Goodbye, Mother!” As he stepped up to the checkout counter, he saw that his total was $127.50.


“How can that be?” he asked, “I only purchased a few things!”


“Your mother said that you would pay for her,” replied the clerk.


November’s EWP Recipe! Ingredients:


CRANBERRY BUCKLE WITH JEWEL CRUMB


1 ¾ cup unbleached all-pur- pose fl our


2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup granulated sugar Zest of 1 orange 2 large eggs


1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract


½ cup sour cream


2 cups fresh or frozen cran- berries


Jewel Crumb:


½ cup unbleached all-pur- pose fl our


¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup brown sugar Pinch of sea salt


¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract


4 • November 2015 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. Directions:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. Sift the fl our, baking powder and salt in bowl. Cream the butter, sugar, orange zest in mixer with paddle attachment for 3 minutes, until light and fl uffy. Add eggs, one at a time and vanilla. Fold fl our mixture in slowly, along with sour cream. Fold in 1 cup of the cran- berries, spread into pan and distrib- ute the remaining 1 cup of berries over the top. For Crumb: Combine the fl our, sugars, salt, butter and vanilla, pulse in food processer until the texture or coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb topping over cranber- ries. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden and fi rm on top. Serves 8-12.


Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go. ~Truman Capote


“I’m very sorry,” replied


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