So this is my annual update for all those who seek that little tub of sweet-tart-citrus deliciousness to use during the holidays. Indian Trail is no more -- sad, but true. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I do have a simple solution to the problem.
I won't go into details again about my lifelong love affair with the stuff. You can read it here. But I am happy to report there is life after Indian Trail, and if you read all the comments to the linked post, you will see that you are in good company if you are searching for the real stuff or a recipe to make it yourself. The most recent comment is from Peg, who still has a tub or two in her freezer and thoughtfully provided the original jello mold recipe from the carton too -- just in case you didn't ever bother to write it down!
The jello mold still appears every year on our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table. I have been eating it for as long as I can remember and have been known to make it when it was just two of us for Thanksgiving dinner. That's how much it is a part of my Thanksgiving tradition and very sweet memories of falling in love with it at my grandmothers table.
My grandmother is gone, but my mother and I always make sure it is a part of our family Thanksgiving dinner to this day. Apparently we are not alone in our sentimental attachment to Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce and the jello mold made from the box.
Here is the recipe I use for my own cranberry orange sauce, with a link to the post and comment with the jello mold recipe from the Indian Trail box.
Cora's Recipe for (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.)
Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Jello Mold
(Recipe from the back of the ITCO box)
2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) 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 into it Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce and crushed pineapple. Pour into mold. Refrigerate until time to remove from mold and serve.
* Substitute Raspberry or Strawberry flavor jello for one or both boxes of jello in the recipe.
15 comments:
reminds me of Mom's- she uses cranberries, oranges, nuts and sugar; puts it in jars and gives it to loads of neighbors at Christmas. we had to ride along and run it to the door so no one would talk her to death so she couldn't get to the next one! She did this every Christmas eve. I think she will enlist my dad this year...
My mother in law from Kentucky introduced to me. Add one cup of chopped walnuts to your recipe and you will have hers. My daughter is making it this year and unfortunately i sent her to Schnucks to pick it up before I goggled it's availability. Seems Schnucks has a substitute in their deli for these memories.
Thank you so much for posting this. My whole family couldn't tell the difference! So glad to have this food tradition back on our Thanksgiving and Christmas table!
My mother just bought the Indian Trails cranberry orange relish at Schnucks in Champaign, IL yesterday. We have used the relish and recipe for years!
Cranberry Orange Relish - Update 2011
There is good news regarding the cranberry orange relish. Stone Gate Foods out of Shakopee, MN is now manufacturing a cranberry orange and a cranberry apple orange relish under their Door County brand. Apparently they are available at several midwest retailers including Cub Foods, Rainbow Foods, Hy Vee, Pick N Save, Copps and more.
That is good news! You don't mention whether they are frozen or canned. I have not seen the brand before here in southern Illinois, but I'll be on the lookout for it. Thanks for the continued updates!
Thanks for the info. I was frantically looking today in two different groceries! My mother is now gone and this was one of my links to the past. She always used this brand and made the cranberry/orange jello mold as do I. Drat! I'll try your recipe!
The Door County Cranberry Orange Relish is a frozen product and in the freezer section next to the frozen fruit, whip cream and similar products. It is currently being distributed as far south as Peoria, IL at the Hy Vee stores.
So sad to hear Indian Trail is no more :-( I searched in vain all over Ft. Collins CO so as to bring this special treat to today's Thxgiv. dinner where we're guests.(Formerly purchased it in IL.) Glad to know someone else has searched & you've posted the actual pix of the real thing; thx too for the recipe. No time for today, but YES for Christmas! MH, a Colorado newbie.
I bought this Door County relish recently to use in a slow cooker pork loin recipe. (Amazing, by the way! ;-) I'm in the Milwaukee, WI area and I bought it at Sendik's which is a local boutique market with about 8-10 stores in the area. I was thinking it was a local item since we have a Door County here in WI and cranberries are a Door County crop. ;-)
NONE of the new manufacturers can even compare to the old indian trail. Best bet is to make it following Cora's recipe above! It took me a LITTLE tweaking to get it perfect, but nevertheless, it has helped our family carry on the tradition. NOW, we make enough for 5 households to have it 3x/year (Thanksgiving, Christmas & Easter)! We never knew how much it meant to our holiday meals til we couldn't find it. Then, by the grace of God, Miss Cora posts a breakdown of how to make it! It only took us a year or two to get it just right but we did! Been making our own now for 4 years. We've tried the "new" brands just for s&g's & they're not even close! So... THANK YOU MISS CORA for allowing us to keep having this wonderful dish & for allowing our family to have a new holiday tradition of making it!
I've been making Cora's recipe since I couldn't find it when the factory closed. My family tells me it gets better each year. It's my husband and oldest daughter's favorite.
Sweetlips, thanks for your comment and I am so pleased to know you have enjoyed the recipe. I made mine earlier this week and look forward to having it with our family Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Enjoy the tradition and Happy Thanksgiving!
Can any one tell me if what ends up being ground up from Cora's recipe is enough for one mold or more? So in other words does equate to 10oz?
@Jeanne Chybik - Sorry to have been away so long and missed this comment until now. Now that bags of cranberries are usually less than 1 lb., one batch of this recipe usually will make a little more than 10 oz. I like to use what I need for the Jell-o mold and then just stand there and eat the rest with a spoon. ; D
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