Summer Drinks #4: Cranberry Juice

The first day at my parents' house was full of surprises. It all started with a bowl of cranberry juice which was something I'd always wanted to try. It was refreshing and sweet with a mild tartness level. My mom used the frozen cranberries my father had brought from Bodrum - a popular seaside town on the  Mediterranean coast in Turkey. The juice was easy, delicious and super healthy. The jewel red colour looks very attractive, doesn't it?

Ingredients

• 1 kilo frozen cranberries, thawed (or fresh if you prefer)
• 10 cups water
• 2 cup sugar*

*The amount of sugar needed may vary depending on your taste and the sweetness of the berries. Work your way up with 1/2 cup.

Directions

1. Wash and drain the cranberries.
2. Place the cranberries and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cover loosely. Simmer 10 min. until the cranberries have slightly burst.
3. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Transfer to a pitcher and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate untill chilled.

About the Fruit:

Cranberries are one of the only three native North American fruits (Concord grapes, and blueberries being the others). To the eastern Indians, cranberries were known as sassamanesh. The Cape Cod Pequots and the South Jersey Leni- Lenape tribes called the little red berry ibimi or bitter berry. But it was the Pilgrims who gave the cranberry its modern name. To them, the pink cranberry blossoms resembled the heads of cranes; therefore the word crane berry later contracted to cranberry. Early American sailors carried barrels of cranberries while at sea as a source of vitamin C, much like the British limeys carried limes aboard ships.