Cranberries are only harvested and sold once a year, so now’s the time to get some cranberry preserving done. And this cranberry sauce doesn’t get any easier or faster to get done!

This is a cranberry puree that has been sweetened with cane sugar and has just a touch of allspice and cloves; the spices mellow out during the canning process and leaves you with a sweetened cranberry sauce that gives a bit of “holiday flavor”.

I only spent about $1.70 per jar making this an affordable project to get done this month (more on this at the end), and of course this would make a great holiday gift.

Here I go into ingredients and instructions on how to make the sauce and water bath can it (this is a beginner friendly canning recipe too!).

Sweetened Cranberry Sauce | Water Bath Canning Recipe

*We ate a jar almost immediately after making this. So only 5/6 jars are photographed.

Tools you need

• Medium sized sauce pot
• 6 Wide-mouth 8 oz (jelly jar) mason jars; there are wide mouth jelly jars by the company Kerr, or you can use normal regular mouth jelly jars if you wish (wide mouth ones are a bit easier to get the sauce out of)
• Mason jar lids, bands, canning tools
• Immersion Blender
• Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

• 6 cups whole cranberries (this was about 2.5 bags; if you wish to use more pull an extra mason jar out for each cup of cranberries you have)
• 2 cups of cane sugar
• 2 cups of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of both allspice and cloves (optional but recommended)

Instructions

*Please follow the instructions to your specific water bath canner and adjust for altitude if needed, for best results

1. Prep your water bath canner and jars: fill your water bath canner up with water and splash of vinegar and get that going on medium heat. Also place your jars in very warm water with a splash of vinegar and let them soak while you make the sauce.
2. Wash your cranberries and pull out any unripe ones or soft ones. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pot, place your water and sugar in. On medium-high heat, bring to a low boil, until all the sugar has dissolved.
4. Then place your cleaned cranberries in. Stirring occasionally, bring back up to a low boil, and boil for 10 minutes. You will hear the cranberries “pop” and start to fall apart when you push on them by the end of the 10 mins.
5. Once boiled, turn off the heat. VERY carefully with your immersion blender, blend the cranberries well. You can use a regular countertop blender, but be very careful with the hot sauce! It burns!
6. Once blended, add your spices. Do not over spice this one! The spices can quickly take over the cranberry flavor of the sauce. 1/4 teaspoon, or even less, will do. If you are not sure start with less. Again, the spices mellow out during the canning process so make sure you can still taste the spices. You sauce should be kind of thin at this point too.
7. Pull your warm jars out of the water and place on a towel.
8. Carefully ladle your sauce into your jars leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.
9. Wipe the rims, place lids and bands on finger tight and carefully lower your jars into your canner (your canner should be plenty hot by now).
10. Following the instructions on your water bath canner: water bath can the jars for 15 minutes. The 15 minutes will definitely allow the natural pectin to “set the sauce” giving it a thicker texture, so if you are worried about a thin sauce, the final boiling in the canner should make it work.
11. Allow your jars to sit untouched for 12 hours. Check your seals the next day.
12. Don’t forget to wash your jars with soapy water before placing them on the shelf, so mold doesn’t grow on the outside of the jars. Enjoy!

Side notes/credits: This recipe is adjusted from the Can it and Ferment it book by Stephanie Thurow. I simply adjusted her recipe into half pint jars, using less cranberries (for money’s sake) and pureeing the berries instead of leaving them whole. Here is a similar recipe from the National Center for Home Preservation, that also help me curate the recipe: Cranberry Sauce.

That’s It!

This recipe is a great one to squeeze into the busy holiday season, which is great because fresh cranberries are a short-lived grocery item around me.

Like I said earlier, I like to try to find the organic berries. I paid $3.65 a bag this year (a bit steep but what can we do). I didn’t calculate exactly, but we can just guess I used about $1 of sugar, and maybe 10 cents of spices.

So, in the end, each one of my jars landed an estimated $1.70 an 8-ounce jar with all the ingredients. Not bad for using non-GMO cane sugar and organic spices too!

Don’t know what storebought prices are but at least I know what’s in my cranberry sauce for the upcoming year.

I am personally taking it easy this holiday season with minimal decorating, and highly thoughtful gift giving.

I am also taking the time to restock the house while I can. That government shutdown was no joke, and we got a potential one in January! Taking this season as a grace period from the Lord and staying focused on the long-term efforts of our winter home.

Nevertheless, Enjoy!