Cranberries are a wonder drug. I mean, food.
They provide many necessary benefits to our bodies:
- Boost immunity with their high antioxidant levels
- Promote and maintain bladder and kidney health
- Help relieve stress and lift dipping moods
- Support brain function and boost memory, similar to cilantro
- Aid in keeping heart disease at bay
- Assist in dental health, and more
Even though you may be tempted to reach for the jug of highly sweetened cranberry juice when you get a UTI (bladder infection), the sugar level in these commercially available juices negate nearly all of the benefits that the tart cranberry has to offer.
You can certainly make your own fresh cranberry juice, but I prefer having Cranberry Concentrate on hand. Inspired to create a “cranberry something” that my uti-prone feline* could, and would, consume (read: something I could sneak into wet cat food and get away with it), I came up with this super “clean”, easy and inexpensive cranberry puree.
Here’s how to make it:
CRANBERRY CONCENTRATE
1 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries. It’s ok to use frozen berries that have thawed slightly.
1/4 – 1/2 cup filtered water, divided
Pour 1/4 cup water into blender. Add cranberries. Whiz up to a puree consistency. If blender is working too hard or berry mix seems too ‘dry’, add 1 Tbsp. of water at a time, then blend again, to arrive at a thick, yet spoonable paste.
Pour into glass container and cover with lid. Refrigerate. Keeps for several months and can also be frozen.
HOW TO USE CRANBERRY CONCENTRATE
* For cats: I mixed 1/4 tsp. of cranberry concentrate into 2 Tbsp. wet cat food along with a bit of plain yogurt to mask the tartness.
For the humans: Don’t make this just for the cats in your life! Add 1-2 tsp. puree to yogurt, smoothies, and fresh juices to balance acid/alkaline levels and increase health. Adjust the amount to meet your pucker limit!
While Cranberry Concentrate is not sweet in flavor, the benefits are a super sweet deal.
*Legal Lingo: Before giving any food or herbal preparation to cats, dogs or other domesticated pets, check with your veterinarian. None of the suggestions in this post are intended to diagnose, treat or prescribe medical conditions in cats or other creatures.
Great tip about using filtered water. I need to cleanse my immune system. I’ll have to consider using cranberry juice.
Thank you for reading the blog post, Tex. A cleanse is such a good idea! We all need to do them periodically to rid our precious bodies of accumulated toxins. When you use cranberry juice, be sure to use one that is unsweetened, whether it’s juice you’ve made from the berries or a commercial bottled variety. Enjoy your detox and let me know how it goes! A votre sante!!
I need cranberry concentrate for a recipe Margarita but I cannot find cranberry frozen concentrate
Hi Jeannee – Thanks for your comment. I suggest making this Cranberry Concentrate recipe and using it in your margarita. Just note that this concentrate has no sweetener, as a frozen juice concentrate does, so you’ll want to add sweetener of your choice to blend into the margarita for a yummy flavor.
Let me know how it turns out!