Cranberry Saw Us
A pun on cranberry sauce, Cranberry Saw Us, was the Irish band's original name. The Cranberries haven't seen mainstream success for well over a decade, and no one since has stepped up to provide us with current pop culture references to the fruit. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving-worthy names like the Smashing Pumpkins and the Cranberries went out of style in the early 90's.
Cranberry juice, however, has experienced greater consumption in recent years, due to the popularity of Sex and the City. Bartenders across the country were mixing up cosmopolitans for women discussing Samantha's tri-sexuality. But cosmo consumption has likely seen a drop-off since Carrie Bradshaw stopped drinking them in an attempt to be different from everyone else.
Before the cranberry enjoyed pop culture success, they were probably first used as a food by Native Americans. A staple called pemmican, a preserved dried meat similar to jerky, provided basic sustenance to Native Americans during the winter. Made by pounding salt-dried venison or other game with cranberries and melted fat, forming a natural preservative, the mixture was then shaped into coils and stored in animal skins until needed.
The cranberry is one of only three commercially-important fruits that originated in North America (the other two are the blueberry, and the Concord grape), and Washington is one of five states that produce the majority of the cranberries in this country. While you may have missed the local harvest, it is still worth a trip out to Long Beach to check out the cranberry bogs and visit the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation Museum. We are also in the midst of razor clam season, so be sure to coordinate your trip with one of this season's scheduled digs. We haven't experimented with any clam/cranberry pairings but we have discovered a cocktail recipe combining the two. The flaming layrnx is made with whiskey, clamato, and cranberry juice. Attempt it if you dare.
And, of course, for those unable to make the trip out west, local cranberries are available at neighborhood farmers markets.
Filed in Food and tagged cranberry, cranberry museum, farmers market, razor clam