Cranberries More Than A Thanksgiving Staple

You might think cranberries are only holiday-time staples at the dinner table, but USDA vegucator Kayla Johnson says thanks to more cranberry products for consumers, like juices, smoothie mixes, and dried berries, "Americans consume about 400 million pounds of cranberries per year, and only close to 80 million of those are consumed around the holidays, specifically Thanksgiving week."

And although Americans are consuming more cranberries year-round, "less than 10% of cranberries are actually sold fresh.  The majority are dry, or used to make juice  or those pre-made cranberry sauces."

Now, the ways consumers are enjoying cranberries has expanded over recent years, to include not just an ingredient in a smoothie, or a salad topping.

"There's cranberry bread, you can do a cranberry salsa, and of course you can process your cranberries for jams, jellies, and preserves," Johnson said

And, a more recent cranberry concoction-- as an ingredient in barbecue sauce.

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