“It’s Thanksgiving on a Chip!” Cranberry Salsa
Our staff chose cranberry salsa as a product they love and want to share with you, our customers, this week from November 15 through November 21. Timi, who works in Valley Natural Foods’ produce department, chose to share her story as to why she loves this product.
When one thinks about the holidays, it is easy to think about traditions. However, as Timi asks, how many green bean casseroles do you really need? While traditions are comforting and full of memories, sometimes it is fun to be different and to bring unique and diverse foods to family gatherings. What is more unique than a mix of minced cranberries, jalapenos, red onions, cilantro, lime juice and honey to create our produce department’s house-made cranberry salsa? For Timi, she had never seen anything quite like it, especially the combination of jalapenos and cranberries, which produces a sweet and tangy flavor. Combine cranberry salsa with local Whole Grain Milling tortilla chips sold at the co-op and Timi creatively calls it: “Thanksgiving on a chip!” If fun, novelty-type foods are something you gravitate toward, make cranberry salsa a true representation of “Thanksgiving on a chip” by placing it on Boulder Canyon’s Turkey and Gravy potato chips (available for a limited time at the co-op). Now that’s a fun conversation starter as these are food items that do not traditionally go together, says Timi, making it a really crazy combination!
“It’s just a neat spin on tradition,” says Timi. “Everybody is looking for a different way to prepare traditional foods. Also, it is kind of fun because you can get your kids involved in trying something new. If you have it on a chip, kids will be more willing to try it!”
Timi also indicates that cranberry salsa is very tasty on other foods than just chips. She recommends mixing it with cream cheese and putting it on a cracker, putting it on turkey burgers, wild rice burgers, sandwiches, and using it as a garnish. The produce department uses local, organic cranberries in the salsa from James Lake Farms which is just south of Three Lakes, Wisconsin. Cranberries also offer many health benefits, including being very cleansing, full of nutrients, and possessing many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
When Timi brought cranberry salsa to her family gathering, it was a hit!
“My family really liked it,” Timi adds. “It was something different. Anything I bring home from the co-op is something they have never tried. They ate it on chips and they slapped it on sandwiches! It was a new experience for them.”
Remember that cranberry salsa is a seasonal item so be sure to get your chance to experience it before it is gone! The produce department only makes and sells cranberry salsa during the November and December holiday season.
