Thanksgiving dinner without some form of cranberry side dish is practically un-American. Because cranberries are grown in almost the same location as the site of the very first Thanksgiving feast, it seems logical that the tart red fruit has been around since the Pilgrims and Indians first celebrated.
The cranberry vine is very particular about growing conditions. The largest concentration of cranberries is grown in Wisconsin and Massachusetts. The berry likes sandy soil in a wetland environment. During the cold winter months, which come just after harvest, the plant enters a period of dormancy. This cold dormancy eliminates most Southern states. For many years the berries were picked by hand and had a very short season.
Marcus L. Urann, an attorney turned cranberry bog owner, was an “out of the box” thinker. He reasoned that preserving cranberries could extend the life of the berry from about six weeks to a year or more. He experimented with different forms of cooking the berries and created the canned cranberry sauce we recognize today. The circular shape of the can made presentation of the ruby sauce so easy to serve. Just open both ends of the can, push out the jellied sauce and slice along the lines left by the can. By 1941 cranberry sauce was available year round.
Urann didn't end his creative thinking at cranberry sauce and cranberry juice. In the 1930s he encouraged other cranberry growers to flood their bogs, causing the cranberries to float to the surface. The floating berries could just be raked and bagged. This more expedient method of harvesting made cranberries much more accessible and much less expensive. New methods for preserving cranberries sent them into new markets.
As time rolled on and the food police came into being, suddenly cranberries were touted as a miracle food. The power of “antioxidants” was a huge catch phrase. Cranberries scored higher than almost all fruits and vegetables in the antioxidant list, having 8,983 antioxidant capacity in just one cup of cranberries. The humble bog-grown berry can fight UTIs, improve memory, prevent certain kinds of cancer, helps in weight loss, boosts immunity and makes a great Cosmopolitan.
In tracing the history of a recipe, it is interesting to see what tweaks have been made along the way. I have a Cranberry Relish recipe that I have been making for over 40 years. The name of the recipe as it is written in the back of my mother’s copy of Southern Sideboards cookbook is “Grandmother Gray’s Cranberry Relish.” Just exactly who Grandmother Gray was is lost in the fog of history. In trying to set a time that this recipe was created, I learned that around the turn of the 20th century a strawberry-flavored gelatin product came to market. So, I believe it safe to say that this relish is a product of the 20th century.
Cranberries are available fresh in the market for about two months each year. They will stay fresh in a refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks. Placed in the freezer, they will stay edible for about 10 months, or until the next crop comes in. Recipes for cranberries have boomed in the last 10 years. From muffins to cookies to salsas to salads, they are healthy and delicious.
I have served this Cranberry Relish to hundreds of people. In addition, I have given this recipe to hundreds more. However, just in case someone hasn't tasted it, I will print it one more time.
Grandmother Gray's Cranberry Relish
• 1 bag of fresh cranberries
• 4 red apples, quartered and seeded but not peeled
• 2 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry jello
• 1-1/2 cups sugar (I usually cut this by half to reduce the sweetness)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup pecans
Place cranberries in a bowl of water. Pick through the berries and remove any which are soft. Drain the berries well and place in the bowl of a food processer with the metal blade. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Remove to another bowl and reserve.
Place the apple quarters into the food processor - no need to wash the bowl between fruits. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
Place in bowl with cranberries.
Coarsely chop pecans. Reserve until just before serving.
In a large glass measuring cup place the Jello and sugar. Stir together well. Pour boiling water over Jello and sugar. Stir until the Jello and sugar are completely dissolved. Pour over the apples and cranberries and mix well. The mixture will not set up because of an enzyme in fresh cranberries. This is easily made a day or two ahead. Just wait to stir in the pecans just before serving so they don’t get soggy.
In order to make this a good dish for people who avoid sugar, use sugar-free Jello. For the sugar, use the Splenda or any other artificial sweetener that can be measured like sugar.
Fran Ginn is former chef/owner of The Back Door Café, who retired after 31 years in the food industry to be a grandmother. She can be contacted at fran@franginn.com.
