aggiebee, If there is a cranberry farm near you, they will be pruning their vines in early spring. Some are sold or used on the farm but often many vines are thrown out. Perhaps they will give or sell you some. They are easy to plant but take a while to produce. Planting under blueberries may not work well. It will probably be too shady and the fertilizer timing is wrong. denninmi, If they look too healthy and grow excessively they will not produce much fruit. There is two types of growth on a cranberry vine, uprights and runners Cranberries produce fruit only on uprights. If you clip the runners part of the way back, the remaining portion will produce uprights from behind. The clipped portions can easily be rooted in spring, this part is what one would get from a farm. The plants do produce on a two year cycle but not in the way one might think. About 50% of the uprights fruit one year and the other 50% the following year so upright density is the important factor. More uprights, more fruit. 200 uprights per square foot is good.

These recipes are out of my Holiday Celebrations Cook Book I've made all and they are great. Hot Spiced Cider 2 quarts apple cider 2/3 cup Karo light or dark corn syrup 3 cinnamon sticks 1/2 tsp whole cloves 1 lemon, sliced Cinnamon sticks and lemon slices (optional) In medium saucepan combine cider, corn syrup, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon slices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat: simmer 15 minutes. Remove spices. If desired, garnish each serving with a cinnamon stick and lemon slice. Makes about 10 servings. Hot Holiday Punch 4 cups apple cider 1 cup granulated suar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 cinnamon stick 12 whole cloves 2 cups grapefruit juice 2 cups orange juice orange slices (optional) Maraschino cherry halves (optional) Whole cloves (optional) Combine apple cider and sugars in large saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until sugars dissolve. Add cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Add grapefruit and orange juices. Heat, but do not boil. Strain into heatproof punch bowl. Garnish with orange slices decorated with maraschino cherry halves and whoe cloves. Serve in heatproof punch cups. Makes 8 8oz servings. Linda

I love fresh cranberries, although I am not crazy about cranberry relish. I like it OK, but it is not my favorite cranberry dish by far. I love them in pies, muffins, cakes, etc. It's too bad that most folks only know cranberries for the one time opening of the can at Thanksgiving. I hope I can make some more things with them this winter for the holidays. Here's one I made for Thanksgiving that was a big hit. I had to laugh Jennifer, because my experience was similar, we ended up going for seconds and licking the bowls! Cranberry-Cherry Crumble, from "Cooking Light" magazine 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed (that's one package) 3 cups frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed (I didn't measure, just used a whole bag) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup dried cherries (I just used 1/2 cup dried cherries, no dried cranberries. You could probably sub some raisins too, to save money) 1 TBLSP all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (I used some tapioca I found in the cupboard instead of cornstarch) Cooking spray (I used olive oil to oil the pan) 1/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped 1/4 cup regular oats 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used regular) 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp. almond extract (I left this out) 2 TBLSP chilled butter, cut into small pieces Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat fruit. Spoon mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine almonds and the next 7 ing. (thru extract) in a med. bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until mixture resemles coarse meal. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden. Serves 8

Never tried these, but someone was looking for grilled shrimp and these were shared: Grilled Garlic Cilantro Jumbo Shrimp 1 lb. jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined ý bunch of cilantro 4 cloves garlic 1/3 cup olive oil serrano chili salt and pepper skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes lime wedge 1. Grind everything but shrimp in a food processor. 2. Marinate shrimp for 30 minutes and add lemon pepper. 3. Then grill on the skewers, basting with the marinade. 4. Serve over rice. Mexican Grilled Shrimp 1 lb. large or jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined Lime Juice McCormicks Mexican Seasoning 1\. Shell and de\-vein the shrimp and place onto skewers that have soaked in water for an hour. 2\. Sprinkle the Mexican seasoning onto both sides of the shrimp. 3\. Place the skewered shrimp onto the grill and squeeze the limejuice onto the shrimp to baste while they cook to a pink color. 4\. Enjoy! Spicy Tequila Marinated Shrimp Yield: 3 servings 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined Marinade à1ý cups tequila, preferably 100% blue agave à1ý cups fresh lime juice àþ cup extra virgin olive oil àý cup fresh garlic, finely chopped àý cup Louisiana hot sauce, or the Tabasco sauce of your choice àý cup sugar à4 Tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste à5 Tablespoons white pepper Mix all ingredients very well. Marinate shrimp for 2-3 hours in mixture. Cook over charcoal barbecue grill, basting 2-3 times with marinade. Thai Shrimp on Lemongrass Skewers A thin, firm stalk of lemongrass makes an aromatic skewer for shrimp. Serve these shrimp with a cucumber salad seasoned with rice vinegar and fresh cilantro. For the Thai brushing sauce: 1/4 cup lime juice 1 Tbs. Asian fish sauce 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 6 thin stalks fresh lemongrass 2 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 green onions, white portions only, trimmed to 2\-inch lengths Using a small, sharp knife, shape the root end of each lemongrass stalk into a point. Soak the stalks in water to cover for about 30 minutes. Drain. To make the brushing sauce, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, mint, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Meanwhile, prepare a medium\-hot fire for direct\-heat cooking in a covered grill. Position the rack 4 to 6 inches from the fire. Carefully thread the shrimp and green onions onto the lemongrass stalks and brush the shrimp with the sauce. Place on the grill, cover, open the vents and grill, turning once, until the shrimp are cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to individual plates and serve hot. Serves 6.