Wash your cranberries, clean and peel the onion, garlic cloves and ginger root. Preheat your saucepan over medium heat. Roughly chop the cranberries. Chop the onion, ginger and garlic into small dice. Add the olive oil to your pan and then add the chopped vegetables. Cook over medium heat until the onions and ginger are aromatic, soft and just starting to brown in the pan, stirring frequently. Deglaze your pan with the orange juice, cranberry vinegar and maple syrup. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the pan just to a boil, stir in the chopped cranberries and reduce the heat to a strong simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until all of the cranberries have softened and the relish has reduced slightly. Stir in the sage leaves, orange zest, and cardamom pods, simmer over low heat for an additional 10 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom of the pan. Let a spoonful of relish cool and taste for balanced sweetness and acidity as well as seasoning, adding a splash of syrup or vinegar, pinch of salt as needed. If you prefer a smoother consistency (think cranberry sauce) puree the relish with a blender or stick blender. Cool the relish before storage and give it one final taste to adjust for seasoning.