From Massachusetts to Wisconsin, cranberries are cultivated and harvested in bogs and wetlands and grace many tables at holiday soirees and family gatherings. Cranberries offer healthy benefits aplenty but are also are a refreshing addition to drinks, desserts and breads. Fall is the ideal time to partake in this final fruit of the season.
Luckily, many Edina venues have cranberries on their menus in unique, delicious ways.
Breads & Desserts
If you’re hoping to have cranberries on your holiday table but would like to incorporate a more unique cranberry concoction than a simple bowl of berries, consider serving cranberry bread or other baked treasure bursting with these little red gems.
Breadsmith in Edina offers its delicious cranberry orange bread, a soft-crusted bread boasting a subtle orange flavor amid bursts of tart cranberries. The bread features wheat flour, honey, dried cranberries and dried orange peel. Breadsmith’s cranberry scones are another wonderful addition to any late-morning holiday brunch, offering the perfect blend of tart and sweet.
For Thanksgiving, consider featuring Breadsmith’s cranberry cornbread. Ideally served with butter, this cornbread features hearty yellow cornmeal, a touch of honey and tangy cranberries. And consider using the cranberry cornbread as a rich stuffing base for your turkey. Hungry yet?
Each fall and winter, Patisserie Margo in Edina welcomes its seasonal cranberry streusel bars, a freshly baked treat perfect for snacking. Serve it as a potluck item or simply gift it in a basket as a neighborly gesture.
On the Menu
When cranberries are the flavor of the season during fall and winter, many restaurants and eateries love to enhance their menu offerings with the red berries. The Good Earth in Edina offers a cranberry crush juice, a healthy blend of fresh cranberry, apple and orange juice to get your morning motor started or refresh after a yoga session.
The Good Earth’s turkey meatloaf is a classic featuring all-natural ground turkey, fresh spinach, basil pesto and seasoned breadcrumbs. It’s also served with, you guessed it, cranberry chutney! This meatloaf is grilled, topped with roasted red pepper sauce and served with gingered yams and steamed seasonal vegetables.
Dried cranberries top the Edina Grill’s healthy kale salad, which has shredded kale, granny smith apples, toasted sunflower seeds, shredded Parmesan, bacon, croutons and a poppy seed vinaigrette.
Schlotsky’s in Edina also boasts a deliciously tart cranberry, apple, pecan and chicken salad, featuring fresh mixed field greens with perfectly grilled chicken strips, goat cheese, pecans, dried cranberries, apple wedges, red onion and croutons.
For a more traditional experience, check out the Cheesecake Factory’s Thanksgiving turkey sandwich, a customer favorite thanks in part to the cranberry sauce—a wonderful addition to the roast turkey, herbed stuffing, crispy onions, gravy and mayonnaise all on grilled brioche bun.
Unique Historical Uses
According to the Cranberry Marketing Committee, which promotes the worldwide use and consumption of U.S.-grown cranberries, the historic uses of cranberries are extensive. American whalers and mariners carried cranberries on board to prevent scurvy and Native Americans brewed cranberry poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds, as well as using the juice as fabric dye.
Cranberry Adventures
Our neighbors to the east, Wisconsin is one of the largest producers of cranberries. If you are interested in learning more about the cranberry industry, why not venture on a cranberry marsh tour in one of the many cranberry marshes gracing Wisconsin’s cranberry region. Or you can drive down the Wisconsin Cranberry Highway where you can experience 50 miles across Wisconsin’s cranberry growing region. Be sure to visit one of the state’s many cranberry festivals where you can enjoy a wealth of food and activities celebrating this unique fruit. For more information visit wiscran.org.
Cranberry Concoctions
If you prefer seasonal sips, try a tasty drink teeming with cranberries. The Hilltop Restaurant in Edina features a cranberry cosmopolitan made with Ketel One Citroen, cranberry, Cointreau and a lemon twist.
Coalition in Edina offers its “must order” Sally’s cosmo, a light, yet tart cocktail featuring lime, cranberry, Ketel One Citroen, triple sec and a
little sugar.
