These little guys have become as much a part of the holiday season as the turkey and they're just as American. They're cranberries. This plant is unique in that it's one of the few things that we eat that actually grows in a wet bog. Harvesting cranberries is quite a challenge, but this year's crop is in and now they're here, fresh and ready to enjoy.

I love the flavor of these little guys and I'm always looking for unique ways to use them. Recently, I came across a recipe for a cranberry salsa. Now I know we usually don't associate salsa with Thanksgiving or cranberries, but this is a delicious, easy to make recipe that doesn't take much time.

Begin by blanching a standard twelve ounce bag of cranberries. Now this only takes a few minutes. You want to cook them only long enough for them to begin to pop and split open and then drain them in a colander. Now I'm ready to put them in the blender and add the rest of the ingredients.

First I chop and add four tablespoons of fresh cilantro and then I add a third of a cup of fresh lime juice, a half a teaspoon of salt and a fourth a teaspoon of pepper. Two minced jalapeno peppers and two tablespoons of grated onion will give it some zip and a half a cup of sugar will bring it all into balance.

Now that I've blended this together, I'll chill it and that's all there is to it. It's delicious served with cream cheese and crackers. Now even though we don't grow cranberries in our backyard, they certainly have the flavor of the season.

From the garden, I'm Allen Smith.

P. Allen Smith Gardens

© 1996 Hortus, Ltd.

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