How to make your own Craisins

On Columbus Day, the kids were home, no school. Hubs was working, it was gorgeous outside. So what better thing, then to go apple picking and enjoy the last of falls great weather right?

I packed the kids up, met up with my Mother In Law and headed up to one of my favorite orchards.

It was great, the kids had a blast, the sun was out, the leaf peeping was at it's peak, and the mountain views were amazing!

We packed up our apples, stopped at my Mother In Laws house for a quick snack to bring on the road home. She gave each kiddo a juice box, and a bag of craisins. Staples in her house, just for when her favorite kids come to visit.

On the way home. Chase starts panicking.... "THERE IS A CRAISIN IN MY NOSE."  At first I didn't know what to do... So I find a safe place to pull over, get him out of his seat lay him over my lap and look up his nose. Yep. There it was. Waaaaaaay up there.  Nothing I could do to get it out. He exclaims "OWEN told me to do it!" I look at his older obviously not much wiser brother... the look of guilt on his face said it all...

So I turn my car around and head back into concord. (Did I mention I was almost home? So this made for another full hour in the car!)

We get to Urgent Care, check in. Chase proudly announces to anyone who looks at him, "I have a craisin in my nose."

The receptionist gives the boys each a coloring book, crayons and they begin to color chatting away to the elderly couple in the waiting room next to us.

Finally they call us in. Chase talks to the nurse taking his weight and stats. The Dr. walks in.... Chase makes a hacking noise... "Ummmm Mama I just swallowed it" Ewww seriously? The Dr. looks. Yep sure enough he cleared it down into this throat.

The nurse, the Dr. and my self proceeded to lecture the boys the importance of not sticking food in your nose... or any other object for that matter.

This little Craisin adventure to Urgent Care is what sparked my idea to make our own dried cranberries.

These are really quite easy to make, and they aren't as sweet. So they are a tad tart still. The kids liked them but with every bite made a pucker face. I actually preferred them  to the bagged ones you buy at the store. I like to know what I'm eating. These tasted like a slightly sweet cranberry!

Dried Cranberries

Ingredients:

3-4 cups fresh cranberries
2 qts boiling water
1 cup sugar + additional 1/4-1/2 cup for the drying process

Directions:

Toss berries and  one cup of sugar into the boiling water. Allow them to boil just until the berries pop open.

Strain berries. Reserving the water/juice. (I chilled mine and drank it. Fresh cranberry juice!) 

Lay the berries out onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Sprinkle with the 1/4-1/2 cup sugar. Set oven to 250. Prop open with a wooden spoon just to crack it a tad. Toss every 45 minutes.   Continue to bake/dry the berries in the oven until they are no longer sticky. Will take 2-3 hours to dry.        

And don't stick them in your nose..... ever.