Tag Archives: Cranberries

Dusty’s Cranberry Orange Quick Bread

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Hey Gang — It’s cranberry season, and you know what that means. I’m back in the kitchen with my fall baking in full swing. We even made donuts a week ago — wow. I’m still proud of myself for those. But today, let’s see what we can do with some fresh cranberries. I love those sweet‑tart little rubies. So here’s a simple Cranberry Orange Quick Bread.

I’ve been making versions of this cranberry bread for years, and it always feels like the official start of fall in my kitchen. The smell of orange and cranberries baking together is one of those simple comforts that makes the whole house feel warm. It’s an easy recipe, but it tastes like you fussed.

Cranberry Orange Bread“Freshly baked fruit loaf with a golden, textured crust cooling on a metal rack over parchment paper.”

Ingredients

  •  2 cups all‑purpose flour
  •  1 cup granulated sugar
  •  1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  •  ½ teaspoon baking soda
  •  1 teaspoon salt
  •  ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  •  ¾ cup orange juice
  • 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with non‑stick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a fork or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly.
  3. Add the egg and orange juice to the crumb mixture and stir until combined.
  4. Fold in the cranberries.
  5. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Glaze

You don’t need a glaze for this bread, but if you want a little extra sweetness, a simple orange‑vanilla drizzle is lovely. Just powdered sugar, a splash of orange juice, and a touch of vanilla. It adds a pretty shine and balances the tart cranberries without overpowering the loaf.

  • 1/2  Cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Mix ½ cup powdered sugar with 1–2 tablespoons orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over cooled loaf.

And that’s it — simple, delicious, and full of my favorite fall fruit. Let me know if you try it — I love hearing how your bakes turn out.

“Homemade cranberry bread loaf on a cooling rack with one slice cut, showing a golden crust and moist interior with bright red berries.”

 

WMEO News Update — October Declared Massachusetts Cranberry Month

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Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. On the left, an orange long‑haired cat wearing a black bow tie sits upright with a serious expression. On the right, a black short‑haired cat looks toward the camera with bright green eyes. A microphone stands between them on the desk, along with papers featuring paw prints and two small plush toys — a gray mouse and a brown teddy bear. Behind them, a large studio screen displays a photo of a cranberry bog filled with floating red cranberries under a blue sky, along with the headline “WMEO 9 October Is Cranberry Month.”

Live from the Nature Desk at WMEO 9, We bring you the latest Cranberry update

WMEO 9- We Meow-You Listen

Banner: Governor Maura Healey has officially proclaimed October as “Massachusetts Cranberry Month,” honoring the state’s official berry and the many multi‑generational farming families that grow them. Moreover, it’s a nod to the deep agricultural roots that keep the Commonwealth colorful every fall.

Balboa: Cranberries? Those are tart little red berries that float. Naturally, they make me think of Thanksgiving — cranberry sauce, muffins, maybe pie.

Banner: Massachusetts is home to the nation’s oldest continuous cranberry cultivation. Therefore, even without the Governor’s declaration, October is a big month for cranberries. The harvest is in full swing.

Meanwhile, we go now to our roving reporter, Pumpkin Spice, who is currently enjoying a cranberry bog.

Pumpkin Spice, an orange tabby cat dressed as a WMEO field reporter, stands in a cranberry bog surrounded by floating red cranberries. He wears a white “Boogie in the Bog” T‑shirt and a black WMEO press hat decorated with an orange leaf. He holds a WMEO‑branded microphone in one paw and looks directly at the camera with a serious expression. Behind him are water, trees, and a partly cloudy sky.Pumpkin Spice: “Pumpkin Spice reporting live from the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts — where apparently the entire state is just… fruit water. Lots and lots of fruit. And lots and lots of cold water.”

“In the last week I’ve been soaked in a storm, chased by bears, and now I’m wading through berries. Consequently, this job is a hazard.”

Balboa (from off‑camera): “PUMPKIN THEY’RE GONNA COME BACK FOR YOU YOU’RE SMALL AND SNACK‑SIZED!”

Pumpkin Spice : “Balboa, please. I’m a professional. At least, I got this cool shirt out of it.”

A white T‑shirt featuring a playful design of three cartoon red cranberries dancing on a musical staff with a treble clef and music notes. Below the illustration, the text reads “Boogie in the Bog.”

Banner: “Thank you, Pumpkin. Please return safely. Otherwise, we cannot afford another bear‑related incident.”

Pumpkin (muttering): “They were surprisingly fast.”

Finally, Banner closes: “And just a reminder, folks — Ocean Spray’s 15th Annual Fall Harvest Celebration will be held at Patriot Place in Foxboro on Saturday, October 24 from 10 AM to 4 PM. This free, family‑friendly autumn tradition features seasonal activities throughout Patriot Place and behind Bass Pro Shop.”

Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. The orange cat on the left wears a dark blue bow tie, while the black cat on the right sits beside a small gray mouse toy and a brown teddy bear. A sheet of paper with red markings lies on the desk. The front of the desk displays the text “WMEO 9” in large yellow letters and “Thank you for watching” in white. The blurred newsroom background features blue and red tones.

 

 

 

 

 

Boogie in the Bogs: A Massachusetts Cranberry Story

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A close-up view of fresh cranberries, glossy and bright red, filling the entire frame.

Sweet Stuff and a Tart Little Legend

We’ve talked about all the sweet things Massachusetts is famous for — cookies, candies, Cambridge’s confectioner’s row, and that little “INN” in Wareham — but there’s one flavor we haven’t touched yet. And honestly? It’s one of my favorites.

Cranberries. The original sweet‑tart.

Fall Means Bog Season

Once fall rolls around, it’s time to boogie in the bogs. The colors turn electric red, the air gets crisp, and every farm stand suddenly smells like cider donuts and chocolate‑covered cranberries. I will happily pig out on those tart little gems until someone pries the bag out of my hands.

Ocean Spray: Born Tart, Raised Bold

Ocean Spray is a cornerstone of Massachusetts life, and its headquarters sit right in Lakeville — practically down the road from me. I’ve always loved their slogan: Born Tart. Raised Bold. It fits the berry and the people who grow it.

The company started with just three maverick farmers who weren’t afraid of bold beginnings. Today, around 700 family growers carry that same spirit forward. That’s a lot of families keeping a very Massachusetts tradition alive.

A Berry With Deep Roots

Cranberries aren’t just a fall decoration or a Thanksgiving side dish. They’re one of the oldest cultivated crops in New England. Native peoples harvested wild cranberries long before colonists arrived, using them for food, medicine, and dyes. When commercial bogs began popping up in the 1800s, Massachusetts quickly became the cranberry capital of the country.

And here’s the fun part: Most of those bogs aren’t on Cape Cod at all. They’re north of the bridges — in Carver, Wareham, Middleboro, Lakeville, and all through southeastern Massachusetts. The Cape gets the fame, but the mainland grows the berries.

How a Bog Works

Cranberry bogs aren’t ponds, and they aren’t fields. They’re a little of both. The vines grow low to the ground, and when harvest time comes, the farmers flood the bog. Cranberries float — which means the berries rise to the surface in a bright red sea. Workers corral them with big booms, scoop them up, and send them off to become juice, sauce, dried snacks, and those chocolate‑covered beauties I love so much.

If you’ve never seen a bog harvest, put it on your fall bucket list. It’s like watching the land turn into a giant bowl of cranberry punch.

Cranberries: A Year‑Round Massachusetts Flavor

Cranberries may be harvested in the fall, but they’re a Massachusetts flavor for all seasons. Summer cookouts, beach days, backyard evenings — cranberries show up everywhere if you let them. Sprinkle a handful into your summer salad and suddenly all those greens have a little bite, a surprise pop of tart flavor that jumps out and wakes the whole bowl up. And one of my favorite summer treats proves it.

A Seasonal Favorite: The Loaded Cranberry Hot Dog

This is the hot dog that says cranberries aren’t just for Thanksgiving — they’re for July, August, and every sunny day in between.

A hot dog in a bun topped with stuffing and cranberry sauce, served in a red‑and‑white checkered basket with bowls of stuffing and cranberry sauce in the background.

Here’s how to build one:

  • Place cooked hot dogs and buns on a platter for serving.
  • Add cranberry sauce into a serving bowl with a spoon.
  • Add gravy into a serving bowl with a spoon.
  • Add stuffing into a serving bowl with a spoon.
  • Build your hot dog by adding stuffing, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a drizzle of gravy over the top for a fully loaded summer hot dog.

It’s sweet, savory, tart, bold — and it works shockingly well. Cranberries aren’t just a fall tradition. They’re a Massachusetts tradition, all year long.

 

Cranberries and Apples Oh My!

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Cranberry Apple Season: A Holiday Feast

The holiday season is filled with more than twinkling lights and wrapped gifts—it’s filled with food! Oh yes, this time of year is a minefield for anyone watching their waistline or blood sugar. Turkey itself isn’t the culprit—it’s pure protein. Keep the gravy light, go easy on the mashed potatoes, and you’ll be fine. But beware: the snacks and sweets are lurking, ready to ambush you.

 

🍎 Apple season is in full swing.

At the grocery store, totes of apples are priced far lower than buying just a few loose ones. Of course, that means I walk out with three times more apples than I need. And what happens next? Baking. Pies, muffins, pancakes… all those sugar, fat, and carb-laden delights that taste so good but spell trouble for the waistline.

🥧 Apple pies—whether plain or the ooey-gooey skillet version—are irresistible.

Skillet Apple Pie – Fresh out of the oven

Mornings often begin with a Big Apple Pancake. Yum!

🍒 And then come the cranberries. If only I could resist! But fresh cranberries are only here for a few short weeks, and Massachusetts is the heart of cranberry country. So yes, I grab a bag… or two… or three. Get ready to boogie in the bog!

How do I love thee, fresh cranberries? Let me count the ways…

  1. Cranberry Christmas Cake
  2. Cranberry Sauce
  3. Cranberry Muffins
  4. Cranberry Breakfast Cake
  5. Cranapple Crumb Pie
  6. Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake
  7. Cranberry Nut Bread
  8. Sour Cream Cranberry Bread

And the list goes on. Honestly, I’m gaining pounds just writing this!

So let’s wrap it up before I raid the kitchen again. Keep an eye on Mom’s Recipe Corner at Welcoming Haven—I’ll be sharing these cranberry and apple creations as the season unfolds. And come January, you can join me at Weight Watchers to undo the damage. After all, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner… and I’ve got a fudge recipe waiting for you.

Cranberry Breakfast Cake- going fast!