Homemade cranberry sauce

1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries (organic if available)

¾ cup bottled spring water

1 cup granulated sugar

1½ tablespoons grated orange zest (from an organic orange, preferred)

¼ teaspoon table salt

Rinse the cranberries under cold water and discard any hard or shriveled fruit.Add water, sugar, orange zest, and salt to a medium stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stir in cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and about two-thirds of the berries have popped open. Transfer to a stainless steel or heat-safe glass bowl, cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.Makes 2frac14; cups.Cook#146;s notes: This works well using an equal amount of sugar substitute (I prefer a natural versus an artificial substitute). Add the sugar substitute at the end of cooking the cranberry sauce, not the beginning. Since some sugar substitutes vary in strength, I suggest adding it in small amounts and tasting along the way until the sauce reaches the desired level of sweetness. When refrigerated, this sauce will not taste as sweet as it does at room temperature. Using a sugar substitute will reduce total calories to 5 per tablespoon. Frozen cranberries can be used. Do not defrost them. Just pick through them and increase the simmer time to 7 minutes.@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per tablespoon: 25 calories, o fat, 6.7 g carbohydrates, 0.4 g fiber, 0 protein, 0 cholesterol, 16 mg sodium.