After foraging for wild blueberries, there comes a time for another super food foraging gem - the wild cranberries. They usually grow on similar paths, blueberries and cranberries, near lakes, swamps, on acidic soil near conifer trees. The wild cranberries grow low on the ground, on small beautiful evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines. They are small and oval in shape, pinky-white when unripe and deep red when ripe. The wild ones are perfect, as they are untreated and definitely taste better than any store-bought ones.
As goes with all foraging, be sure to not over pick. Leave enough for wild life, birds and for a stronger crop next year.
Cranberries are considered superfoods due to their high content of beneficial vitamins and antioxidants. In traditional medicine they are mostly used in high potency doses to prevent and reduce the incidence of UTIs. An article in 2019 found that the best results for the eradication of the most common UTIs bacteria, Escherichia coli, is to combine cranberry extract with caprylic acid from coconut oil and oregano essential oil extract. Cranberries are also supporting cardiovascular health, are great for the heart, are enhancing oral health and are apparently slowing the progress of certain cancers. They also contain melatonin. Nibbling on just handful of cranberries in the evening will help you sleep better.
CRANBERRY HAND PIES
INGREDIENTS
1 cup of freshly picked wild cranberries
ready rolled puff pastry
2 mozzarella cheese
fresh thyme
salt, pepper
1 egg
INGREDIENTS
Preheat the oven to 180c/350f. Cut the puff pastry in small rectangles. Rip mozzarella cheese to small pieces and distribute them equally on the pastry rectangles onto the middle leaving space around the edges and fold the edges over. Add fresh cranberries, brush the folded over edge with a beaten egg and add twigs of fresh thyme, as well as salt and pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden and puffed up. Serve warm or chilled.