Every Recipe Has a Story
I think it’s important to understand where a project originated. We can choose to devote time to any number of projects. Making dandelion wine, honing pie making skills, painting, sculpting, the options are endless. So why did I choose to create a project called The Heritage Cookbook Project? A project that seems to cause some confusion - “where’s the cookbook?”; “ when are your publishing the cookbook”; “where can I buy the cookbook” - these are questions that I often get when I tell people the name of the project.
There will likely be a cookbook as some point, but the project is really about documenting and preserving recipes that affect us not only as individuals but as cultures and communities. Recipes that have been in a family for generations or ones that have recently been created to tell stories of who we’ve become on our journey called life. Recipes that document places and time.
I believe that every recipe has a story. And I think these stories are often best communicated through voice. The written word is powerful - the word is mightier than the sword as they say. But I would argue that voice is even more powerful. You can hear the joy and sometimes the sorrow; the nostalgia the longing; the hope in the voice that shares the story of a recipe. It may be a simple recipe, but the memories surrounding it are far from simple.
The Conversation that Inspired a Project
Let’s start at the beginning. It’s a summer evening and we have visitors. My mom, my dad, and my auntie. All aged, one not much longer for this world. The two siblings, my dad and my auntie, sit comfortably next to each other telling stories about growing up in small towns in Northern Minnesota as my mom and I sit quietly listening. As memories meander from a small farmhouse next to the Canadian border to an apartment above a gas station to a leased wheat farm, I begin to realize that every story has recipe related to it. And I start to wonder if other dads, aunties, uncles, moms, grandmas and grandpas share similar stories with their families. Do these other families, listen with one ear while scrolling through social media or news feeds, or play Wordle? Or do they secretly hit record on the voice memo app installed on their smart phone to preserve the story and recipe? That’s what I did. And that’s where this project begins.
It was a story of a simple cranberry sauce - three ingredients. That’s it. But the story that unfolded and the message conveyed were far from simple. “You know what foods are, Leigh? They’re memories!” my Auntie said to me. I realized that these stories had the power to bring us together around the table to sit and listen, and I mean really listen, to each of our stories. To give space for compassion, grace, and understanding. To celebrate our uniqueness as well as our shared experiences.
So, I invite you to find a comfortable spot, sink in, relax and enjoy the story that inspired a project. And please come back for many more tales of family, tradition, culture, community, and the foods that bring us together.
Serves: 8 • Prep Time: 5 minutes • Cook Time: 20 minutes
Wild Cranberry Sauce
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.
As an member of affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. It’s a great way to help support the project.
Wild Cranberry Sauce, the Beginning of a Project