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My dad is fond of stating that the cranberry is one of only 3 native American fruits. Most fruits came from Europe or somewhere else, but here in America is where they discovered cranberries, Concord grapes and one other that I can’t remember.

Today, for Thanksgiving, I’m trying two new cranberry recipes. The first is, in a sense, retro, as it uses gelatin and you create a mold and then glob it out. It won’t have ridges from the side of the can and it won’t have sugar in it, but otherwise it’s old school. I found it here, but you might not have permission to see that page, so here’s the recipe:

1 package whole raw cranberries
1 envelope plain, unflavored gelatin
honey to taste (½ – ¾ C)
1 C orange juice

Cook berries with ½ cup OJ until soft and split. Let cool. Purée. Add honey to taste. Mix gelatin in remaining OJ, then add to warm cranberry purée and mix well. Pour into mold, and chill, undisturbed, for twelve to twenty-four hours. To unmold, turn cranberry sauce upside down, with a hand to catch it underneath. Dip under running hot tap water to release the sauce, and remove quickly. Slide the sauce onto serving plate and remove mold. Keep chilled until serving time. Variation: substitute blueberries or other fruit.

The next one is raw. No cooking, only delicious ground goodness, from The World’s Healthiest Foods:

1 package fresh cranberries
1 medium pear
1 medium apple
1/4 C honey
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp vinegar

Blend cranberries in a food processor. Same for apple. Same for pear. Grate horseradish root. In a bowl, combine blended cranberries and rest of ingredients. Chill.

Retro or raw, I’m grateful for cranberries!

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

This is one of the most popular articles on the NYT site. So far this year, I’ve had 4 of the 11 foods I supposedly am not eating. (I’ll let you guess which ones.) Check ’em out!