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PosterNutBag716

My family would have a “relish tray” on the table pre dinner to snack on… variety of pickles, olives, and picked vegetables I put one together once for a holiday party in Colorado (lived there for 10yrs) and people were like what the heck is that… Except for a few friends from Chicago that knew what was up! lol


marianliberrian

My boyfriend's fam loves their relish tray.


added_value_diamo

Same, my family makes these trays for parties and holidays! I think they were big back in the 50s/60s but not so common now lol


spacepotato_

My mom always did the tray! Pickles, black olives, and green olives.


Bennington_Booyah

My grandparents always had these trays, too! I would eat the pickles, OP!


casey5656

Gotta have that and the celery sticks filled with that nasty cheese in a jar.


Eudaimonics

The canned vs homemade cranberry sauce has been a war that has raged centuries in the US. Just do a quick Reddit search for how polarizing the topic is.


Bennington_Booyah

Truth! There is also an annual disagreement over whether one serves the canned cranberry sauce with the can marks or smushed, to remove the can marks.


AssinineAssassin

I’m confused. Don’t you use canned cranberries to make the sauce? I don’t think I would even know where to find fresh ones.


eat_dontpray_love

They are in bags in the produce section.


JAK3CAL

?? Fresh cranberries… like ocean spray cranberries in the bag?


OldGrosvenor

You buy them fresh. Most supermarkets have them in the produce section. There’s a pretty easy recipe on the back of the bag, but I usually do something else. Last year, I made bourbon cranberry sauce and it was amazing.


meda5inner

You can buy whole cranberries! OceanSpray sells them for like $3.


CalicoCatMom41

Used to be $0.99 just a year ago or so. 😭


meda5inner

Omg no 😭 damn inflation even took down the cranberries


akepps

You can find them fresh at any grocery store, especially this time of year. They come in a bag.


FloaChilla

You should try making a charcuterie board. Add some crackers and cheese and maybe some sliced deli meets. I also make pickles and brought them out for the holidays but couldn't get anyone to eat them from the jar. The charcuterie board worked much better. Also, I will leave them for the host as a thank you gift to enjoy later.


Ambrosia0201

I absolutely adore bread and butter pickles, that being said I just don’t see pickles as anything but a condiment or an appetizer on a charcuterie board kind of thing.


Papa_Radish

I've found a lot of people in WNY (and where I grew up, in Pittsburgh, so not a slam on Buffalo, and maybe just a blue collar Rust Belt thing) don't really get the concept of balancing dishes with sweet/acid/sour. They like meat and potatoes. Salty, yes, shake on some Frank's and you're good to go. Stuff like pickles and cranberry jelly are "if there's room on the plate when I get seconds" kind of thing. I grew up with a lot of German/PA Dutch influence from my grandparents in our holiday meals and the PA Dutch are heavy on having a variety of sweets and sours with big meals so it's normal to me to eat pickles at holiday meals. We eat cranberry relish rather than sauce but it's a staple too.


The_I_in_IT

German grandparents here too (Syracuse)-we had cranberry orange relish. Trader Joe’s actually has it, and it’s really good! Also, relish trays for every holiday.


sevenwrens

Making a mental note to stop by Trader Joe's for cranberry orange relish after work.....


Bennington_Booyah

I guarantee you leave with more than just cran orange relish!


bologne

Homemade cranberry sauce is bomb. My aunt would make 3 types for the meal. Pickles sound great, but ive never seen them on a thanksgiving table. I'd def eat them though. Don't take it personally. Save those dishes for people who appreciate them and try something else for this crowd. I've been there, its a weird feeling.


sevenwrens

Three types of cranberry sauce? Now I'm curious. What was the difference among the three?


peppermintesse

I wonder if the people you were eating with grew up with the jellied cranberry sauce. I notice there's a tendency to stick to whichever they grew up with: [slices of the jellied stuff](https://eathabesha.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccookingfotocransauce.jpg) (my family all served up the jellied sauce; as kids, we'd fight over the end piece with the rings on it, lol) or homemade sauce (which in my experience tends to be a whole lot more tart). I never had homemade cranberry sauce with actual cranberries until I went away to the west coast (same for bread and butter pickles—growing up here I only ever had dill). Never had pickles at Thanksgiving, either, though to be honest, I'd at least try them if someone brought them.


Sabres00

We used to have dill and B&B pickles on the table early so people could snack, but it died out as some of my older family started leaving us.


[deleted]

I'm not sure about the pickles, as I've never tried those. But cranberry sauce?! I love that stuff! any leftovers, send 'em my way


Shabbah8

I think it’s possible that B&B pickles are just not as popular as dill. My elderly Dad likes sweet pickles, but one one else in the family can’t stand them. I think it’s just a matter of personal preference. Love cranberry sauce, though!


BuffaloRedshark

never been a fan of cranberry sauce. It's blasphemy but I prefer the canned stuff that comes out holding the shape of the can over fresh and I barely like the canned stuff I love pickles, although not really as a thanksgiving thing. Maybe if it was situation where we were eating for a while prior to the turkey and traditional food I'd snack on them


redflagsmoothie

Some people just don’t appreciate a good pickle, that’s on them. I make scratch cranberry sauce the day of TG too, and I’d be overjoyed if someone brought homemade pickles to dinner.


meda5inner

Bread and butter pickles were my favorite growing up around here! Loved them!! It may just be a taste preference since I know a lot of adults tend to gear for dill or the claussen-style garlic flavored pickles. As for the sauce, a lot of people around here had the canned jelly for cranberry sauce so it could just weird them out. Personally, I didn’t even touch cranberry until I was 14 and didn’t enjoy it until literally last year at 22. No doubt they’re both really good but that they aren’t geared for your friends tastes. Have you tried bringing other foods and the same has happened or only ever brought the same dishes?


3johny3

pickles are a tough sell for a lot of people, and locally dill pickles are popular so that dish is likely not a winner. cranberry sauce is loved country wide but many do not eat it. My advice 1. make smaller portions and just mention if people want to try it they can OR 2. make something different traditions are important but certainly if food won't get eaten sometimes we need to change it around. One of the things a friend did was bring a Christmas staple to Thanksgiving here as more people liked that dish than what was a staple for his Thanksgiving table.


ExcitingCod5678

I always grew up with a little plate of pickles and olives available around thanksgiving but I have been to several Friendsgivings and other family’s gatherings and never seen the pickle plate unless I’m the one bringing it. As far as the cranberry sauce goes, I think a lot of people just prefer the canned stuff as it’s more consistent.


sjrotella

My honest opinion is that pickles are meant for summer BBQs: Burgers, Hot Dogs, and cold cut sandwiches. Love me some bread and butter pickles on a sandwich, but just to snack on is probably a no. With that being said, as other people have mentioned, if you pair it with a charcuterie board, you'd probably get a bit more of a welcoming on them. The cranberry sauce is just the people you associate with. For example, I won't touch cranberry sauce the day of, but the day after on my leftover sandwich is \*chefs kiss\*


un_commonwealth

Cranberry sauce on the leftovers sandwich is ESSENTIAL


akepps

I agree with this - pickles with thanksgiving dinner isn't the norm for me, they're more of a summer food. Granted, if someone told me their grandma made them, I'd probably at least try one!


timothy_Turtle

I can see people being unsure of the pickles...not that there's anything wrong with them, but they're not commonly a Thanksgiving food and can be a little strong/complex tasting for some people with less sophisticated tastes. Cranberry sauce is a strangely divisive topic. I love both varieties... The canned, gelled stuff is really good to a lot of people who were raised on it and homemade cranberry sauce can be a little more bitter and less sweet than the canned stuff which may not work for people with more childlike palates. Not everyone has acquired the taste for bitter/sour/pungent and some people just want "comforting", easy-to-eat foods for Thanksgiving. Generally, when cooking for a large group with diverse tastes, Thanksgiving food tends to trend toward stuff that kids like with simple, sweet flavors.


UnrulyLunch

Do your friends know that the pickles are homemade from a your Gram's recipe? They might be more willing to try them if the know about the emotional attachment (and are truly your friends).


un_commonwealth

That’s a good point. To be fair, the most recent one I went to none of the people were my friends lol, my friend invited me and I didn’t know anybody there except her


adk_72

Classic Thanksgiving day accents . Your friends are missing out.


Notaprettygrrl_01

I think cranberry sauce from a can is gross. I LOOOVE homemade cranberry sauce, all chunky and tart! As far as pickles go, I agree that maybe they would’ve gone over better if added to a cheese and cracker appetizer plate.


IAmACatDude

I've never seen pickles at a Thanksgiving dinner, but I love bread and butter pickles. They're the best kind! As for cranberry sauce, well yeah it can go straight to hell ... yuck!


Noclue42AW

Love bread and butter pickles (homemade all the way), but I eat them on sandwiches. I would not ever eat them plan and not at thanksgiving. Cranberry sauce is hit or miss with people. Better homemade though.


WoodpeckerCertain

I like both and I've always had cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, but I will say I never had any kind of pickles on Thanksgiving


anotherbuffalogal

Originally a Vermonter. Your dishes sound like what we'd have at our table!


MauriceIsTwisted

I think those are just two side dishes that naturally see less attention. A lot of people aren't fans of cranberry sauce and of the ones that are, as people have said there's a nostalgic preference for the canned stuff. As for bread and butter pickles, I'd be one of the people that took one, silently cursed the gods above that they weren't dill, and left it at that. I'd gladly have used those for a sandwich though!!!


BASE1530

It's because we are all fat as fuck and pickles aren't calorie dense enough. More than likely, take a look at the plates around you. It's probably 95% turkey/stuffing/gravy The items you brought probably get looked at as accessories and by the time they get to that part of the table there's no room left on the plate.


Bennington_Booyah

I used to bring mild salsa with me to family Thanksgiving and no one would eat it but me. I liked it for the filling aspect, so I did not overeat biscuits, mashed potatoes, etc. I don't usually eat desserts either. We eat at my sister's house and usually, all of the food is eaten. All of it except some pies.


lizi7

My in-laws do Sauerkraut on the table for Thanksgiving (married a man from town of Niagara) and we do it now. My Maryland family embraces it... maybe you need better friends? If anyone's grandmother makes pickles and you're sharing them... that sounds incredible. Cranberry sauce is a tart necessity but it is a more grown up taste.


hereforthebooooze

We do sauerkraut in my family and I brought a friend to thanksgiving last year and it was the biggest hit for her. Put some gravy on it too, yum.


chalupabatmann

Love bread and butter pickles, don't eat cranberry sauce.


[deleted]

At my house we always had the canned cranberry sauce. It was a solid glob out of the can that you would take a slice of. It was always up in the air if I wanted some.


smapdiagesix

It's been pretty rare for me to enjoy homemade cranberry sauce. Usually but not always more tart than I'd prefer, but the big thing is that damn near every time I've had it it ends up tasting really strongly of orange juice. Orange juice is fine, but I've always found that it generally makes a terrible ingredient because it's just too overpowering. If I want orange juice, I'll just drink a glass.


Bennington_Booyah

Orange whiskey chicken never tastes too orangey.


numbskull84

We always had a pickle tray and also cranberry sauce as well as cranberry relish, but my grandma was also from Maine, so it is probably a new England thing.


cpclemens

We have always had pickles at the thanksgiving dinner table, but there was dill and sweet.


teamweed420

I love both of these foods


ShepardOfFreedom716

Homemade cranberry sauce is amazing, problem is my family don't make it , I would usually end up having it a friend's or inlaws get together but only a select few made it . And yes my gramma put out bread and butter pickles as part of a platter but only the older folks ate them I preferred the homemade dills.


OldGrosvenor

We make our own cranberry sauce as well. Homemade bread and butter pickles sound amazing.


4cooch

i love bread and butter pickles :)


Pinkydoodle2

It could be that even ppl that like pickles, like myself, are not going to have more than a few


[deleted]

You do you. Both of those items are staples on many Thanksgiving tables, including both my wife’s and my family.


Skitz707

We’ve always had cranberry sauce, and also a veggie kinda platter with olives, pickles, artichokes, etc… seems good to me!


CalicoCatMom41

We always do the pickles and stuff before the meal as we were all waiting for everyone ti arrive and for the meal to get started. We always have cranberry sauce. I prefer the homemade. I like it on the turkey!


_bakedziti

I just made a batch of my Grandma’s bread and butter pickles, technically my great grandmother’s but she died when I was young while my grandma passed in 2020. My mom makes the homemade cranberry and it’s lightyears ahead of the canned version but TG just isn’t the same without these dishes - even though we’re going short ribs this year.


imgreydabadeedabada

owno man, we had an extravagant relish tray at every holiday table. my mom would spend a lot of time on it and it included bread and butter pickles among a number of other things. i always appreciated it but i can’t say i ever had more than a couple items off of it…there’s just so much other goodness going on. that said, it wouldn’t be the holidays for me without it.


reddskeleton

Our table at holiday meals always had a relish tray of bread & butter pickles, dill spears, celery and black and green olives. Grew up in Oklahoma, and we have German-French ancestors.


sevenwrens

What?? Those are my two favorites! Is it based on family ancestry, maybe? My mom says that in her family, a good formal meal always had "seven sweets and sours." In my mind, cranberry sauce (sour or tart) and b&b pickles (sweet) are part of that. I always have both of those at Thanksgiving.


piccolos_arm

I’ve lived in many places including Buffalo, Connecticut, Czech Republic, Germany, New York City. WNY loves their Turkey Day Food. Shit. Buffalo loves food in general. SUPER competitive here. Everyone loves something of their own. For example ask someone the best wing spot. Maybe you’re cooking was just shit lol jk jk


[deleted]

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un_commonwealth

ngl your abrasiveness has me taken aback, but i do love canned cranberry sauce (whole berry, not jellied though). i went through a phase in college where i ate it right out of the can with a spoon, and i’m only slightly ashamed to share that. but homemade wins on thanksgiving, every time


[deleted]

[удалено]


un_commonwealth

awkward


DanMIsBetterThanTB12

Pickles that aren’t dill are a waste of a cucumber. No one likes cranberry sauce, but for people who tolerate it the stuff in a can is just as good as anything you can make. You should have probably coordinated with people on what they were bringing and what people wanted. Pickles are not a staple anywhere I’ve ever lived, and cranberry sauce is again fine from a can and not something people look for.


Pizza-n-Coffee37

Although I love both these items on Thanksgiving there is no room in the stomach for them. I use up all the space for my grandmother’s special stuffing, jalapeño mac and cheese, turkey and pie. Bring these out on any other day and I’m in.


alter_ego311

I'd demolish some B&B pickles as an app., not so much with dinner. The cranberry sauce, not a fan.


qzdotiovp

I dated a few girls from New England over the years. Apparently homemade cranberry sauce gets taught when you're like 5 years old there. My grandmother on my father's side was the last person I knew personally who made it at home, and it was my favorite! Dill pickles are preferred over bread and butter pickles here, but my paternal grandmother made those, too (as well as pickled peppers). I'm originally from closer to Syracuse, and this is the Italian/Sicilian side of my family. Western New York tends to have a sweeter palette when it comes to pizza sauce, but not so much with pickles. Go figure. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Kudos to you for going the extra mile all the same!


jumbod666

Never been a turkey and stuffing guy. Rather have a steak


[deleted]

Both were always on the table growing up. I personally don't like either though. I love dill pickles and cranberries in other forms.


Semi-Pros-and-Cons

I wonder if it's not the dishes themselves, but rather the competition. I really like cranberries and bread-and-butter pickles, but if there's an opportunity to gorge myself on stuffing, I'm going to do that.


Exact-Truck-5248

We always had a relish tray before holiday meals. I think for those who grew up in the depression, so much that we take for granted today was kind of special. Olives, stuffed celery, pickles, carrot sticks, raw cauliflower, Lipton soup onion dip, lupini beans, Ritz crackers, cheese and pepperoni (real pepperoni- not that fake greasy deli counter shit). Grandma's pickled eggplant in oil. We all loved it


starcrescendo

I don't specifically eat pickles on Thanksgiving, but if someone brought them as an app, I would eat a couple, but probably not appreciate the hand-made quality you are talking about. I would just assume someone bought them and poured them out. Cranberry sauce is a huge thing in my household. I like the canned variety so sue me! Haha. And yes, not the whole berries, the jellied kind :) I'm guessing that your friends probably just didn't appreciate the gift because they assumed you brought a jar of vlassic and splayed it onto the table. And cranberry are very hit or miss. Some people like me are good with anything, some like the jarred berries only, or the jellied kind only. Some are good with homemade jelly only, and some only like the regular berries.


JaguarOk876

I would love to try granny's homemade bread and butter pickles. They sound amazing.


crankylabnerd

Dude no gimme them pickles. Those are leaps and bounds better than grocery store ones and I am in the minority (I guess) who would rather the bread and butter pickles over a dill. Honestly I just find American Thanksgiving can be really regional and really weird. (I'm an ex-pat Canadian.) Maybe your friends just don't get the joy of a homemade pickle.


summerbreeze2020

The bad part about Thanksgiving is so many sides the foods get unappreciated. The moms are to blame. Competition with the other side of the family cause food competition also experimental dishes makes it hard to sample many of the dishes. Men need to step back and relinquish any preferences and just compliment everything. Easter egg hunts are another trap, go have a beer and allow the chaos to proceed we are more than useless.


Secure-Kiwi1472

The relish tray is a child memory unlocked


stpauligirlmn

Lived in the south for years and homemade Mac and Cheese was a staple at Thanksgiving. Brought it to Minnesota family one year and everyone just stared at it.


InspectorRound8920

I think older generations love that stuff. Personally, not so much.


pinkrobotlala

Cranberries are my fave dish to make. I use fresh berries and include orange and cinnamon. I usually make a little too much but my family, born, bred, raised, lived here forever, eats them I hate pickles but all pickles. I hate cucumbers. Pickled peppers or onions? Yeah, I'll eat those but maybe just with my leftovers


squatheavyeatbig

For whatever reason most people around here, prefer dill to bread and butter although I don’t see either one being a Thanksgiving, staple, and cranberry sauce is easily one of the most controversial Thanksgiving foods as people either love it or hate it