". . . little shall I grace my cause

In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver . . ."

(William Shakespeare's Othello, I.iii.88-90)

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving Find

Don't say I never told you anything useful, okay?

Here's my find of the year: Felix Lingonberries. I discovered them at Jewel while shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. In keeping with our minimal-corn-syrup policy (I can't say no-corn-syrup policy because I haven't succeeded in cutting it out entirely--we are still buying corn-syrup based catsup--but we no longer get it in our pancake syrup, peanut butter, bread, and a host of other things) I went looking for an alternative to the usual canned cranberry sauce (which because I read the label this year I discovered was full of corn syrup). I couldn't find any cranberries or cranberry sauce on the shelf that didn't have it, and I didn't have time to check other retailers, such as Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, that might have more options. And please, don't ask "why didn't you make your own?" I would wager $100 that at least one of my readers, but probably more, does just that. But I am a cook of modest talents, and again, there wasn't time to go to another store, much less for me to find a recipe and successfully execute it.

But then . . . then I happened upon this beautiful sight:


At $4.99 a bit more costly than the $2 can of Ocean Spray, but just look at the ingredients: wild lingonberries, sugar, and pectin. Period.


Into my cart it went. The day after Thanksgiving the entire jar was gone. I bought another one today (we still have lots of turkey and dressing in the refrigerator). This stuff is amazing! Much better than any cranberry sauce I have ever had. And I know, Melody--I didn't like the lingonberries in the Ikea cafe--but that didn't even begin to compare with this taste experience. The Ikea lingonberries had a bitterness I didn't care for; these were delectably sweet.


Here's a link with everything you might want to know about Felix lingonberries.

3 comments:

Susan said...

We luv Ocean Spray cranberries. The smooth stuff, not the lumpy. Not the off-brands either. As far as I'm concerned, real cranberries belong in cranberry bread. But cranberry sauce that goes with the turkey and stuffing ... that's Ocean Spray or nuthin'. (I can't believe you have to pay two bucks for it, though. I better stock up on my next Woodman's trip before I get sticker-shock from looking at cranberry sauce at a local store.)

Cheryl said...

It was probably on sale, Susan, but I think the list price for Ocean Spray is $1.89. Of course, the off and store brands are less.

I would love to keep Felix lingonberries on hand all the time, as a standard condiment in my refrigerator. Unfortunately, the budget does not allow for that. So it will be a special occasion treat. But I decided to go for a second can since, hey, it's still Thanksgiving weekend and the leftovers have not run out!

Anonymous said...

Sounds good, but just for future reference, making cranberry jelly is so easy an 11yo boy can do it. ;) All you need are cranberries, sugar, and water for sauce that neither tastes nor looks like a can. . .hmmm, I think I need to go sneak another spoonful out of the fridge!