Canned cranberry sauce is simple to make, this recipe makes whole-berry cranberry sauce or cranberry jelly. Great for making ahead of time! This recipe makes 6 half pint jars.
Prepare your boiling water canner for a water bath method. Put the canning rack at the bottom of a large pot and heat the jars in simmering water until it's time to use them. Wash the lids in warm soapy water and set aside until ready for use.
Mix the calcium water as per Pomona's Pectin instructions.
Put the cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, and water into a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook the cranberries until they burst and soften, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ½ cup of the brown sugar and pectin powder and mix thoroughly.
Add the calcium water, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice to the cranberries and stir well to combine.
Bring the cranberries to a full boil over high heat, then slowly add the sugar-pectin mixture, stirring constantly.
Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin as the cranberries come back up to a boil.
After the pectin is dissolved add the other ½ cup of brown sugar to the cranberries. Once the cranberries return to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
Use a jar lifter to place the jars onto a wooden cutting board or kitchen towel and ladle the hot cranberry sauce through a canning funnel into the prepared jars. Leave about ¼ inch of headspace and remove any air bubbles.
Wipe the rims of the jars and center a lid onto each jar and apply the band, adjusting to fingertip tight. Place the filled jars into the boiling water canner, making sure there is 1-2 inches of water covering the jars.
Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the pot lid, and let the jars sit inside for 5 minutes.
Use a jar lifter to remove the hot jars and let them cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check to make sure the lids are all sealed, they should not flex when the center is pressed.
Notes
Pomona’s Pectin comes with 2 packets, the smaller one with calcium powder is needed to make the calcium solution with water. The larger packet has pectin powder that is added to the sugar while making this jam.
For jellied cranberry sauce, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth after the cranberries have burst and are soft.
Feel free to add more sugar for a sweeter cranberry sauce. However, I don’t recommend reducing the sugar as cranberries are very tart and a little sugar really helps to bring out the flavor.