1. Select fresh cranberries. They should be slightly opaque and have a fire-engine red or scarlet color. Pick firm ones with a slight give when squeezed.
2. Get the water bath canner ready. Lower the canning rack into the canner, fill it halfway with fresh water, and heat it to boiling, which may take 30-45 minutes.
3. Prepare the canning jars, lids, and screw bands. Wash the canning lids and bands in warm soapy water and rinse them. Submerge the canning jars in simmering fresh water and keep them hot until ready to fill. Do not boil the jars.
4. Wash the cranberries under cool running water.
5. Pour the cranberries and fresh water (or 1 cup water-orange juice mixture) into a large stock pot. Cover the pot with a lid, leaving a crack open as the berries may emit hot juices as they burst open.
6. Boil the water and cranberries over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmering temperature and simmer the berries for 10 minutes until soft.
7. For jellied cranberry sauce: Once the berries have softened, take them out and crush them with the back of a spoon or in a potato masher. Alternatively, strain them through a mesh strainer.
8. Add the butter to reduce foaming (optional) and stir until it melts. Add sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon to ensure all the sugar dissolves. Boil for 3 minutes, adding the optional spices in the last few minutes of cooking. Ladle the hot cranberry sauce into the hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.
9. For whole cranberry sauce: Skip steps 7 and 8. Do not mash or sieve the berries once the berries have softened. Add butter (optional) and stir it to melt. Add sugar and boil while stirring to dissolve it. Boil for three minutes, adding the optional spices in the last minutes of cooking. Ladle the hot sauce into the hot jars. Leave ½-inch headspace.
10. Remove air bubbles from all filled jars using a plastic spatula or a wooden spoon.
11. Wipe rims with clean, dampened paper towels and center a new lid and band on each jar. Fasten the bands on each jar until fingertip tight.
12. With the canner at 180 degrees Fahrenheit, lift the filled jars onto the canning rack using a jar lifter. Ensure the water covers each jar by 1-2 inches, and then bring the water to a rolling boil.
13. Cover the canner and process both half-pint and pint jars per elevation:

• 0 – 1,000 feet: 15 minutes
• 1,001 – 3,000 feet: 20 minutes
• 3,001 – 6,000 feet: 20 minutes
• Above 6,000 feet: 25 minutes

Post Processing

14. Turn off the heat, open the canner’s lid, and let the canner sit for 5 minutes.
15. Take the jars out with a jar lifter and place them on dry towels on a counter. Allow them to cool for 12-24 hours without disturbing them.
16. Remove the screw bands and check that the jars are sealed correctly. They shouldn’t flex when you press the lid downward.
17. Refrigerate any unsealed jars and use the cranberry sauce within 14 days. Alternatively, reprocess them within 24 hours using new lids.
18. Label and store sealed jars of cranberry sauce in a cool, dry, dark place.