Cranberry-Apple Preserves

I made my second batch of preserves last night - all by myself! That is, I didn't have to ask Mom to stay up way too late to teach me how to can orange marmalade. =)

My inaugural batch was cranberry-apple preserves from the Ball Blue Book. The Blue Book doesn't have the same robust directions that Alton Brown provides, but this recipe was fairly straightforward. A couple of notes: Be sure to chop the apples to a small dice, or about 1/3-inch cubes; otherwise, they take a long time to break down. I peeled the orange and chopped the segments; I did not bother to cut supremes.

Cranberry-Apple Preserves
Ball Blue Book, pg 39

Yield: 9 half-pints (and some change)

2 pounds cranberries
3 green apples, cored, peeled, chopped
1 orange, seeded and chopped
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup honey

Combine all ingredients into a large saucepot. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil gently almost to gelling point. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process in boiling water canner 15 minutes.

It tasted like a richer, sweeter version of the cooked cranberries we always have at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love cranberry sauce anyway, but these sweet preserves were an even better way to keep the Christmas-sy feeling all year.

This was a great recipe. Delicious on an English muffin!