Based on the number of Google Search hits I receive every single month from people stumbling upon my recipe, while frantically looking up a source for this popular holiday treat, I know I am not alone in feeling sad that my grandmother's classic Indian Trail cranberry jello mold will no longer grace our holiday table.
All is not lost though. Years ago, when I was unable to find Indian Trail where I lived in North Carolina, I created my own. I'm not sure I could tell the difference in a blind taste test, but now that doesn't really matter, I guess.
This year, I plan to make some of my special recipe early in the season and freeze it, just like the Indian Trail people of yore. OK, so maybe the Pilgrims didn't have Indian Trail brand cranberry sauce at the first Thanksgiving. But for those of us who feel like it's just not Thanksgiving without Indian Trail, try this recipe for the almost real thing.
Cora's recipe:
(Almost Indian Trail) Cranberry Orange Sauce
1 bag of fresh cranberries (frozen fresh whole berries are OK too)
1 whole orange including peel/rind, seeds removed (I quarter the whole orange, remove the seeds and stem end and add the orange quarters to the food processor with the cranberries and sugar - feel free to separate the white pith from the orange peel, if you wish)
1 cup of sugar Chop all ingredients in a food processor or a food grinder and stir to mix. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. (Be sure to let it drain a while to remove the excess liquid before mixing it with Jello, if you are making the Cranberry Orange Holiday Jello Salad recipe from the Indian Trail box.)
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26 comments:
This is just like Mom's, but she also adds pecans, too. She makes a huge batch before Christmas each year, puts in in pretty jars with yarn ties, etc, and loads everything in the car and Christmas eve. then Daddy drives all over, with Mom delivering her Christmas gifts to her friends (she made us take them to the door so we wouldn't get stuck talking too long). She still does this, but not for as many people. She also uses it in jello, occasionally, too! can't imagine a Christmas without it!
Cora,
My mother made this same recipe and used a food grinder before the days of food processors. I remember hosting a Thanksgiving dinner in college and borrowing a food grinder from a married student so I could make the cranberry orange sauce. I still love this recipe in the jello mold. I have seen Ocean Spray cranberry orange sauce - similar packaging to Indian Trail - but it's only in the store sporadically.
Kerry
Must have been a 'mother' thing because this is my mother's recipe too, I just thought it came off the cranberry bag, however, didn't know there was a commercial version.
Just wondering if this recipe would be equal to 1 container of Indian Trail. Cant believe I cant buy it anymore
Hi Lori,
I share your disbelief at the loss of Indian Trail - of all the "processed" cranberry foods, it was the best!
It's been a while since I made this recipe, but I'm sure it will give you more than the equivalent amount of Indian Trail. Plenty to freeze for another time.
Tell me it ain't so! What will I do without Indian trail, making my kids (and husband's) favoritest jello thing, holidays or no? I'll bookmark your recipe I guess.
I, too have looked high and low for the Indian Trail frozen cranberry-orange sauce. I LOVED it. I have a question with your recipe.
Do you mean the orange rind when you said peel?
Will a blender work as well as a food processor?
Thanks, Glenn
I have looked high and low for the Indian Trail Orange Cranberry Sauce. I was told by an employee of a local supermarket that Indian Trail went out of business but he heard a rumor that another company is going to start making the Indian Trail Orange Cranberry Sauce. In the mean time, I will try your recipe. I always made the recipe from the back of the Indian Trail container. I use cranberry jello.
Thanks,
Betty
On Grandma Elsie's Potato Rolls recipe---
It says, "1 pk. yeast dissolved in 1/2 warm water."
Is that 1/2 of the water used to cook the potatoes, or is it supposed to read 1/2 CUP warm water?
I'm confused.
Have been driving all over town looking for the Trail Cranberry-Orange Sauce. Sick to find it is not being made. Thanks for your recipe
Thanks for the recipe! I was trying to figure out what I was going to do to make my mom's cranberry salad recipe come Christmas... I found a container of Indian Trail in the back of the freezer from last year - & thank goodness because I didn't have time to concoct a recipe for one of our Thanksgiving meals the next day. :)
I went to the freezer section this week and could not find it so, thinking they were just out of it, I went to another Kroger tonight. No sign of it. I emailed my cousin and she said she could not find it either. I just assumed our Kroger stopped carrying it but never imagined the company stopped making it. It just made everything taste like Thanksgiving as it spread on the plate with all of the trimmings. Rats. So, with this recipe, do we include the pith. That is usually very bitter. Please clarify.
I share the sadness of the loss of Indian Trail. I will give the recipe a try.
I don't have the jellow recipe from the box. Could you also post the jello recipe that was on the Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Box?
No!!!!!!!! I couldn't find it last year here in Cincinnati, but my in-laws in Toledo were still able to get it. It's not in Cincy again this year, but I was assuming Toledo still had it. I'm so sad! I loved that stuff!!
I tried to make it with the ocean spray cran orange sauce last year (sold room-temp) and it's not the same. I will try your recipe.
It is late in the day but Marzetti's has a cranberry-orange relish out. I am trying it in my jello mold. Hope it works!.
We are so bummed about this, too! Just found this week that it was conspicuously absent from the freezer spot I've been finding it over the years in my grocery store. It's the only cranberry sauce/relish that I like, and the flavor was so reminiscent of the cranberry orange sauce my dad used to make by hand the day before Thanksgiving, using the old iron grinder, many, many years ago. *sniff*
I just wrote Dean Foods a nasty note and also all my local stores complaining about this. There name was on my copy.
I am also upset that there is no more Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce. My mother found this back in the 80's or maybe even earlier than that. I makes the best Cranberry Jello and people that usually do not like Cranberry Jello really enjoy it. When I couldn't find it in Birmingham, AL anymore I would have my daughter-in-law get it at Jewell in Chicago. Last year was the first time she could not find it but luckily I had her buy me about 8 containers of it the time before and still had a couple left. I was hoping to find it this year, but guess I will try your recipe. If anyone is looking for the recipe on the container, here goes:
2 pkgs (3 oz.) Cherry Flavor Gelatin
2-1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup crushed pineapple (juice and all)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) Frozen Indian Trail Cranberry
Orange Sauce Thawed
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in IT
Cranberry Orange Sauce and pineapple. Pour into mold. (I usually add 1 spoonful sugar.)
I hope this will help.
Peg
I was also wondering if a blender would work as well as a food processor... My family was very upset last year when we couldnt find the Indian Trail but Im hoping your recipe fools everyone this year :)
Lindsay,
I'm sure you can do the chopping in the blender, especially if you are accustomed to using it to chop. Probably need to do it in small batches and I might mix each portion of the cranberries with a section of orange. That way the juice of the orange might keep the cranberries moving long enough to become finely chopped. Just a thought! Hope it makes your family smile!
:D
Thank you for sharing the information.
My local grocer carries Mrs. Gerry's Cranberry Orange Relish in the refrigerator section. Mighty tasty.
I have a fresh bag of cranberries (12 oz) Do I boil them till they pop or do I just throw the whole uncooked berry into the food processor with the orange?
Pam
Pam,
DO NOT COOK the cranberries. Just wash them, remove any yucky ones and dump in the food processor with the orange. I add the sugar after I get them ground. Chill until serving. I just made mine and put some of it in jello and will serve the rest as is. I like it spread on my turkey sandwich later. And I like to mix it into my hot bowl of oatmeal oatmeal.
Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Cora
Indian Trails orange cranberry relish is still available at my local County Market. Just bought some for today's dinner.
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