Cranberries

European settlers first put cranberries on the Thanksgiving table because the local fruit lasted through winter and enhanced the flavor of gamy meat. The settlers had picked up on the berry's culinary potential from Native Americans, who survived cold winters by filling up on pemmican, a cake of cranberries, nuts and dried venison or bear meat. Both groups also prescribed cranberries for fevers, gastrointestinal problems and dropsy -- a term used to describe any swelling or inflammation.

Cranberry juice contains chemicals that may improve treatment of ovarian tumors that aren't killed by conventional medicines, scientists say. Ovarian cancer, the fifth-leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women, became as much as six times more sensitive to the chemotherapy drug paraplatin after treatment with the cranberry derivative, a study of cells in dishes by Rutgers University found.

The cranberry, a Thanksgiving holiday icon in the New World, is bouncing back from a market slump thanks to the Old World. Four centuries after the bitter berry was embraced by hungry immigrants who left Europe seeking a better life, the cranberry is getting a boost from new markets in Germany, France and, yes, Britain, from where those first expatriates set sail.

Many parents give cranberry juice to their children for urinary tract infections. But many parents don't discuss the treatment with their doctor, according to a new study. Cranberry is commonly recommended for urinary tract infections. Although some research has shown its effectiveness in adults, few studies have focused on children. Cranberries can help prevent the infections by interfering with bacteria's ability to stick to certain urinary tract cells. A study by Dr.

Like its cousin the blueberry, the cranberry is one of the best food sources of antioxidants. Early New Englanders relied on the ripe red berries to treat gastrointestinal conditions and prevent scurvy, a condition caused by lack of vitamin C. The cranberry's ability to stave off bacterial infections was confirmed by German scientists in the 19th century. Today, a growing body of research supports the berries' ability to keep urinary tract infections and heart disease at bay.

Cranberries, the reliable but simple staple on Thanksgiving Day tables, may contain an infection-fighting compound that prevents tooth decay prompted by the holiday's desserts. Years of work by a team of researchers at the University of Rochester has begun to yield a host of clues about the medicinal benefits of the deep red berry. Dr.

The sign in the produce section was a shocker. How could it be? "Sorry. Out of cranberries." I leaned on my cart, incredulous, caught unaware by the cranberry shortage. It was the day before Thanksgiving. I don't remember the year -- sometime in the early '90s. I was on my last swing through the grocery store. Although each of the guests at my 24-person dinner would bring a dish, there were dozens of little things my husband and I still needed, from pickles to cranberries.

Dear SOS: Citronelle Restaurant in the Santa Barbara Inn serves a side dish with a portabello mushroom over a mound of spinach that's cranberry flavored. I would appreciate having the recipe. Jim Barry Huntington Beach Dear Jim: This is pretty on the plate, the dark green of the spinach contrasting with the garnet-colored cranberry sauce on top. The spinach is sauteed in butter with shallots and would be a great side dish by itself. Check the freezer section at your market for cranberries.

Native Americans used cranberries to treat wounds. Settlers found they helped prevent urinary tract infections. Extract may not be as effective. Uses: To prevent and treat urinary tract infections. Dose: About 10 ounces daily of cranberry juice may help prevent urinary tract infections. People who dislike cranberry juice sometimes use supplements; doses are typically 1,000 milligrams a day.

It's a problem that rears its ugly head only at holiday time: The cranberry is a born killer of good wine. Most wines, when confronted with sweet-tart cranberry sauce, beat a hasty retreat, flattening out or turning thin and bitter. One reason, says Susan Ebeler, a professor of flavor chemistry in the viticulture and enology department at UC Davis, is that cranberries are very high in polyphenolics, the chemical compounds that contribute to flavor and aroma, and they tend to be very astringent.