Every year Sammy the squirrel would watch as Farmer Bill harvested his cranberries. Farmer Bill always offered Sammy any leftover berries. One year, Sammy decided to gather as many as he could. That year winter set in early. It was the harshest winter the animals of the forest had ever faced. Unable to gather as many nuts and berries as usual, the decision was made to call off the Christmas feast for fear they would run out of food. Hearing the bad news, Sammy decided to make a basket of goodies for every animal of the forest from the cranberries Farmer Bill had offered him; delivering them one-by-one. Sammy's kindness possibly saved the other forest animals from going hungry, and restored their faith in the Christmas spirit of love, hope, and the compassion for others.
See contest rules at the bottom of this page.
Cranberries are considered fruit. Cranberries do not ripen after they are picked, much like other fruits such as Cherries, Strawberries, Grapes, Lemons, Pineapples, Grapefruits and Oranges. Cranberries must be picked within a few days once they are determined to be ripe in order to keep them fresh.
During the yearly harvest, some of the cranberries not completely ripe. When the cranberries are taken to the processing plant they are separated. In the story, A Cranberry Christmas, the animals of the forest would pick and taste the berries before they were ripe. Therefore, the berries had a bitter taste. So, the animals just assumed the berries were always bitter. They did not know how sweet they would become once they ripened enough to pick. The berry Sammy found and tasted in his room was already ripe when he stored it.
Some of the berries that are not ripe, but close to it, can be used in cooking, just as were the berries Sammy used in A Cranberry Christmas. Ingredients used for cooking, like sweeteners, change the tart flavor to a more desirable treat.
Cranberries can be frozen for weeks, and even months before use. When Sammy took the cranberries back to his tree and stored them, that winter set in early, therefore freezing the berries until he used them for the baskets of goodies he made for the animals of the forest. Once Sammy made the baskets of food, he stored them back in the tree trunk, thus, keeping the food he made frozen until he could deliver them on Christmas Eve. Squirrels don't need heat to stay warm because of their fur. They don't have heaters in their nests. Therefore, the berries Sammy placed in the storage bin inside his room remained frozen until he strung them together for his Christmas tree.
There are many websites where you can learn more about the use of cranberries, the nutritional value of cranberries, and the many ways they can be grown and harvested. Simply type in Cranberries, nutritional value of cranberries, harvesting cranberries, or cooking with cranberries. You might want to even look up the various cranberry associations in the United States - for the love of cranberries.
An entry form will be made available on this website in January of 2025.
All recipes submitted must be original. They can be variations of other recipes but cannot be duplicated due to copyright infringements.
To enter, you must be between the ages of five (5) and fourteen (14) at the time of entry. All entries must accompany parents' information.
Parents can help with the making of the recipe with the child leading the way.
All entries must be submitted in written format accompanied by a video of the child putting the ingredients together. Parents can be included in the video if they participated in making the recipe.
Three winners will be chosen. The first-place winner will be awarded $100. The second-place winner will receive $75, and the third-place winner will receive $50.
All three winning recipes will be published in each year’s addition of A Cranberry Christmas. Video versions will be uploaded to our website to share with others.
The decisions made by the judges will be final. The criteria for winners will include the ingredients, presentation and taste.
To be determined at a future date. The panel will be put together in January of 2025. Final decisions will be determined by March of 2025 in time for the revised edition of A Cranberry Christmas to be published and marketed for the 2025 holiday season.
Winning recipes will be posted on a newly created YouTube website after the winning recipes have been determined.