Did You Know Cranberries Float?

I’m so blessed to have many warm childhood memories of the holidays, and because of those memories, I’ve made a point of creating the same for my children—and now, my grandchildren.

It is a delight as parents to share the things that mean so much to us with our children, and doing so is part of establishing our legacy. But perhaps your childhood wasn’t particularly happy and you can hardly bear to think of it, let alone recall a pleasant holiday experience. If so, this might be the year to create new memories and change the legacy of your family. Whether cherishing old traditions or creating new ones, you can help ensure the children in your life have joyful memories to treasure. Sometimes it’s as simple as a few floating cranberries.

With my New England roots, our Thanksgiving dinner always included fresh cranberry orange relish. Since I was the oldest—and the most responsible—I was allowed in the kitchen at a very early age. The day before Thanksgiving, Grammy Chapman and I would make our cranberry relish. After donning aprons, we emptied the bag of cranberries into a sink full of water for rinsing and sorting. I loved to swish my hands in the cold water and see the cranberries float to the top. I could splash around all I wanted and not get in trouble! My little fingers were the perfect size for examining each berry. If I found a squishy one, I threw it away; if I found one with a stem, I pulled off the stem. Then I carefully placed all the rinsed and now perfect berries in the colander to drain. While I was preparing the cranberries, Grammy Chapman got out the old-fashioned meat grinder, tightened it on the cutting board, and cut an orange into eighths.

Now the exciting part really began! Grammy turned the crank, and I plopped the cranberries into the opening of the meat grinder. The juice bubbled up, and the cranberries floated on the top of the opening. It was lots of fun to add more berries and watch them pop back up. (Grammy was careful that my fingers didn’t get too close to the grinder.) Now and then, we’d insert a piece of orange and watch the color change as the fruit came out. Once all the fruit had been put through the grinder, we poured sugar over it, and I got to stir it all together. Then Grammy spooned the relish into jars and put them in the refrigerator for the next day.

One year, my sons couldn’t be home until Thanksgiving Day. With no one home to help, I made the relish by myself. Rather than create the mess the grinder makes, I decided I’d just throw everything into my food processor. It was much quicker and neater—but it just wasn’t the same. It was ground too fine and had lost the familiar texture I prefer. Since then, I find the old grinder and do it the old-fashioned way—even if I have to do it myself.

I still have Grammy Chapman’s antique food grinder and have even purchased two more at antique stores so I can pass one on to each of my three sons for their own household. But now, I’m the grammy and the grandchildren come to my house to make cranberry orange relish—just like I did with my grandmother! Just like I did, they love playing with the cranberries in the sink. As I introduce each of my seven grandchildren to making cranberry relish, I love to see the joy in their eyes as they exclaim: “Grammy, did you know cranberries float?”

Mary Clare, my oldest granddaughter who is now 9 and has been making cranberry relish for years, recently reflected: “Oh yes, that’s the best part of making cranberries because they float even though you don’t expect them to.”

What family traditions can you pass on to your children and grandchildren?

 This story is a slightly modified version of the one found in my book Making the Blue Plate Special.

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Through her speaking and writing, Lauren encourages people with her heartfelt messages and practical presentations. She is the author of The Art of Helping – What to say and Do When Someone is Hurting.  Lauren and her family are active in both church and community choral groups. She lives in Redlands, CA.