Cranberry sauce has long been synonymous with holiday entertaining. The canned cranberry sauce we all know today was first commercialized in New Jersey in 1917 by a cranberry farmer who later partnered with a Massachusetts cranberry farmer who together, formed Ocean Spray. 

Today Ocean Spray continues to be the largest organization in the U.S. for independent cranberry farmers who sell the majority of their crop to the brand who produces those cans which are such a familiar sight on dining tables during the holiday. However, Lighthouse Keeper’s works with those very same growers on Cape Cod to buy additional crop to produce many of our cranberry recipes. Our selection of cranberry based sauces ranges from jam, salad dressing and sauces to pair with meats, fish and vegetables. 

While cranberry sauce wasn’t wildly popularized as a holiday staple until the 1940s, using cranberries to flavor dishes dates back hundreds of years, especially here in New England. Native Americans used cranberries to flavor meats turned into a paste. They taught early European settlers how to harvest the berries who fashioned them into preserves, much like our recipe for Cinnamon & Spice Cranberry Apple Jam.  

My family has long dubbed my Cinnamon & Spice Cranberry Apple Jam as “Thanksgiving in a Jar.” It has become a must-have at any gathering during the holidays. It can be used straight out of the jar to replace the traditional canned cranberry sauce to enjoy with turkey or ham. Its flavor, far more robust, has notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. I use it often as an ingredient with other savory dishes, like pumpkin pasta, where it pairs delightfully in a brown butter sage sauce, a fun and unexpected side dish for Thanksgiving. At Christmas, my gingersnap sandwich cookies...