Cranberry-Orange Relish: A Souther Family Tradition

I have made cranberry-orange relish every Thanksgiving since I was about five years old. I can remember my father getting the grinder out, cutting up the oranges, and opening the bag of cranberries. He would sit beside the grinder and pour a few cranberries in at a time (a few always fell on the floor for the cats to chase) while I turned the crank. When I was young he would put his hand over mine to help me turn the crank...as I got older I was able to do it all by myself. The orange pieces would squirt me in the eye as they went through the grinder when I least expected it. I remember how beautiful the cranberries and oranges looked coming out of the grinder and into the pan below and how the it made the house smell so sweet. We always made it the night before Thanksgiving so my parents could take the bowl to church with them the next morning. People brought in a dish that they planned to eat for Thanksgiving dinner and the priest would bless it...another wonderful Caribou tradition.

The few years that I have been away from home for Thanksgiving I have made the cranberry-orange relish myself using my mother-in-law's grinder. Last year I continued the tradition with Tanner and Abigail.

My sister, Bethany, and her family moved to Caribou in April 2010 so last year my niece Elizabeth made cranberry-orange relish for the first time with my father. We will be making the relish this afternoon and I plan to take pictures of everyone taking a turn with the grinder.

Cranberry Orange Relish

1 bag of Oceanspray whole cranberries
1 medium orange, quartered
3/4 - 1 c. granulated sugar

Using a grinder or food processor grind up the cranberries and orange. Add sugar to taste. Refrigerate for 24 hours and serve. Yummy!