Cranberry Sauce Ideas

Cranberries available around here aren't strictly local, but it's not hard to find ones grown in Massachusetts at least. And Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce just wouldn't be right.

I like to make whole berry sauce, the kind where you dump fresh or frozen whole berries into a saucepan with a little water and some sugar and cook until they pop and become a chunky jelly. It's great just like this, but I have trouble resisting the urge to jazz it up at least a little. My favorite thing to do is add a little grated fresh ginger - maybe a tablespoon or so to a pound of berries.

Other ideas:
1. Add some other fruit(s), like blueberries
2. Cook the berries with some whole spices, like cloves and cinnamon sticks - remove the spices later. Or try whole star anise for something a little different.
3. Use orange juice instead of water or add some citrus zest.
4. Add chopped dried fruit and/or nuts.
5. Any combination of the above.