Listen as my Auntie Kay tells her story of a scary foraging trip into wild marshlands, farm life, and treasured kitchen gadgets.
A Story that Started a Project
Some stories carry with them a spark. This story of wild cranberries and growing up on a Northern Minnesota farm was the spark that ignited a project. This project in fact.
It’s a short story, but a powerful story about how food has the power to conjure up memories of people, places, and a time that was not necessarily easy, but simple.
Episode Transcript
🎧 Click here for the full, interactive transcript of this episode 🎧
Time for Cranberries by Lisl H. Detlefsen illustrations by Jed Henry
The Cranberry Cookbook: Year-Round Dishes From Bog to Table by Sally Pasley Vargas
Thank you to our Sponsor Bob’s Red Mill for keeping my pantry full of fabulous flours and baking products!
"Wild" Cranberry Sauce
This simple cranberry sauce recipe inspired a project. A project whose goal is to document, preserve and celebrate family recipes.
Ingredients
2 pound fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar, for tart sauce add more if you have a sweet tooth
heavy cream for serving
Instructions
In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven add cranberries and sugar. Heat over medium heat until berries start to pop and release their juices.
Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. You will want to stir this occasionally to make sure that the bottom doesn't scorch.
Remove from heat and mash through a potato ricer or, if you are lucky enough to have your grandmother's Wear-Ever sieve, use it.
Serve with heavy cream drizzled over the top. If you can find farm fresh cream, that is the best.
Let’s Connect!
Find me on Instagram @leigh_olson, join the Family Recipes, Traditions, and Food Lore community on Facebook, or subscribe to The Heritage Cookbook Project.
Do you have a recipe, tradition, or story to share? Send me an email at connect@theheritagecookbookproject.com.
If you would like to further support this project, there are a couple of ways that you can become a patron subscriber. Choose one of the paid tiers here, purchase something from my Amazon wish list, or buy me a tea - I know it says Buy Me a Coffee, but I’m a tea gal.
If you aren’t able to support monetarily, sharing this with a friend really helps to let the algorithm enforcement agencies that people are enjoying these stories and want more.
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EP 8: Wild Cranberries and Apron Strings