Care & Handling

Selection
Cranberries are usually sold in bags, and since they're firm, rather than soft like most other berries, they're likely to be in good condition. Check them for firmness and good red color; the bag should contain a minimum of pale berries and debris.

Storage
Cranberries store well--about two weeks in the refrigerator, and a year in the freezer. You can put bags of cranberries in the freezer with no further preparation, and can cook with the frozen berries without thawing them.

Preparation
It's easy to clean and pick over cranberries by placing them in a basin of cold water; twigs, leaves, and unripe berries are easy to spot because they float to the surface. The process should be done quickly, though--you don't want to soak the berries. Cook cranberries with a small amount of liquid (frozen apple juice concentrate is a good choice, because it sweetens the berries too) until the berries pop. Fold cooked berries into homemade applesauce or compote, or try adding them to sliced apples or pears to fill a pie, cobbler, or fruit crisp. If enough sweetener is added, cranberries can be used on their own without any other fruit to fill a tart shell.