Ruby Jam and More from American Cranberrybush

Red fruits, snow and fall leaves on American Cranberrybush. Photo: Lee Wright

There’s still time to add a little American Cranberrybush jam to your holiday table! (See recipe below) 😋

Why American Cranberrybush?

We want native plants that feed the birds and critters. What a bonus when these plants also feed us! American Cranberrybush, Viburnum opulus var. americanum, checks both boxes, and more!

Its among the largest of the viburnums and produces arguably the tastiest of the viburnum berries-- “remarkably similar to cranberries but … much juicer,” say Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe in Native Plants for New England Gardens.

[Note:  This native cranberry is not the one found in stores, although the commercial cranberry also is native, Vaccinium macrocarpon, and belongs to the blueberry family.  It’s short and evergreen, providing food and cover for tons of wildlife and making a great groundcover in sunny, moist spots.]

The maple-like leaves of American Cranberrybush

American Cranberrybush grows 8 to 12 feet high and wide, with maple-like leaves that turn orangish-red before dropping off in the fall and bright red fruits that hang on through winter.

Its spring blooms are classic viburnum: Big, showy flowers encircling flat-topped clusters of tiny, white blooms–a “pollinator powerhouse plant,” according to the Native Plant Trust.

Cedar Waxwing surviving the winter

Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Bluebirds and other year-round residents depend on these fruits during the dark and cold of winter.  

Even though it is deciduous, American Cranberrybush has the dense branching suitable for a hedge or privacy screen.  Bush getting too big?  American Cranberrybush can be pruned in late-winter or early spring, just before the new growth pops out.  

As with all viburnums, more than one American Cranberrybush is best for fruit.

Michael Dirr's recipe for American Cranberrybush jam 😋:

• Simmer cleaned fruit for 10 minutes in ⅓ its weight of water

• Put through a sieve; use a little more water to remove pulp from seeds

• Add sugar to equal weight of cleaned fruit*

• Boil to 222℉

• Pour into jars and immediately seal

“Yields beautiful ruby jam with distinctive flavor.” – Dirr, from the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants

*I believe this refers to the weight of the fruit before it is simmered.

About the author

Jennifer Anderson owns Tree Talk Natives, a native tree and plant nursery in Rochester, Mass. A former news reporter, she loves to write and talk about native plants. Jennifer also gives garden consultations and presentations on native plants. She can be reached at jennifer@treetalknatives.com.

Sources:

• American Cranberrybush. Plant Fact Sheet. Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA. 

• Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, 4th edt. 1975. Stipes Publishing Company, Champaign, Ill. Pp: 919-920.

• Highbush Cranberry (not a true cranberry). University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

• Richardson, M. and Dan Jaffe.  Native Plants for New England Gardens.  2018.  Globe Pequot, Guilford, Conn. P: 176.  

• Viburnum Opulus – Highbush Cranberry.  GoBotany: Native Plant Trust.  

• Viburnum opulus var. americanum. Native Plant Trust.