their shape and substance when baked. The
pigments can turn odd shades of green if
cooked with alkaline ingredients (for
example, baking soda in muffins).
Cranberry and Relatives Cranberries are
fruits of the North American perennial vine
Vaccinium macrocarpon, which is native to
low, swampy areas of northern states from
New England to the Midwest. Cultivation and
efforts at improvement began in the 19th
century, and the familiar jelly-like cranberry
sauce was born early in the 20th century when
a large producer decided to process his
damaged berries into a canned puree.
Cranberries can be harvested dry, with a
comb-like machine, or wet, by flooding the
bog. Dry-harvested berries keep better, for
several months. Cranberries store well for a
couple of reasons. One is their high acidity,
exceeded only by lemons and limes, and the
main obstacle to eating them straight. The