Rinse and drain cranberries. Sort through them and discard any soft ones.
Wash the orange and zest it with a microplane onto a cutting board. Set aside. Use the microplane to grate the ginger onto the same cutting board. (It took about 2 inches of ginger to get 1 tsp of grated ginger for me.)
Juice the orange and add it to a measuring cup. Add water to get to ⅔ cup.
Bring water/juice and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir constantly so that the sugar dissolves and doesn't burn.
Add cranberries, orange zest and ginger and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to burst and the mixture thickens. (It will thicken more as it cools.)
Remove pan from the heat. Let cranberry sauce cool in the pot for 5 minutes. Transfer to a glass storage container or bowl and cool completely. Refrigerate until serving, preferably at least a day or two ahead of time.