B Ration Apple Cranberry Sauce
Complete B Ration meal: Vienna Sausage and Beans, Apple Cranberry Sauce, and Pineapple Milk
City/Region: United States of America
Time Period: 1946
The A Ration (fresh foods) and B Ration (dehydrated, canned, or otherwise preserved foods) made up 79% of the US soldier’s diet in World War II. While dehydrated and powdered foods aren’t the ideal, sometimes they can turn out to be rather tasty, like this apple cranberry sauce.
First off, this is more of a compote than a sauce, but other than that, I don’t have any complaints. It tastes (not surprisingly) like applesauce with some cranberries tossed in, and would be even better with a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon, which they would have had in the field kitchens.
“NO. 893. APPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Yield: 100 3-ounce servings or 1 1/2 serving spoons each.
Apple nuggets, dehydrated…2 1/4 pounds (3 No. 56 dippers)
Water (for apples)...6 1/2 quarts (6 1/2 No. 56 dippers)
Cranberries, dehydrated, whole, or Cranberries, dehydrated, sliced* 1/2 pound (1/3 No. 56 dipper)
Water…2 1/2 quarts (2 1/2 No. 56 dippers)
Sugar, granulated…5 pounds (2 1/2 No. 56 dippers)
*If compressed cranberry slices are used, do not use volume measurements. Note weight given on box.
1. Soak apples in water 20 to 40 minutes
2. Add cranberries and water to apple nuggets.
3. Bring to a boil over a slow fire and simmer 15 minutes. Add sugar and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Cool and serve.”
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups (110 g) dehydrated apple nuggets*
- 3 1/2 cups (835 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (25 g) dried cranberries
- 1 heaping cup (225 g) sugar
*See Notes below.
Instructions:
- Combine the apple nuggets and 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) water in a medium pot and let the apple rehydrate for 30 minutes.
- After the apple has rehydrated, stir in the cranberries and the remaining 1 cup (235 ml) water.
- Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Let it cool and serve it forth with Vienna Sausage and Beans and Pineapple Milk for a complete B Ration meal.
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