Hello Sourcers!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all who celebrate. Hoping today’s newsletter finds you calmly sipping tea on the couch while pies bake in the oven, and not checking email on your phone in line at Wegmans because you forgot butter.

What’s on our menu?

🔴 Cranberries!

🍹 Cocktails!

☕ Coffee!

🎧 Record reviews!

(Believe me, I tried to come up with something alliterative for the last one.)

I always think of Thanksgiving weekend as a sort of deep breath before the flurry of activity that December brings. My big ambition for the weekend is to take the NPR Books We Love list to my local bookstore (or possibly multiple local bookstores) and stock up on stuff I missed this year.

But first, we have to get through the day itself. I’m pretty basic when it comes to cranberry sauce (not “splorched out of the can” basic; “berries-OJ-sugar” basic), but since we lost NPR legend Susan Stamberg this year, today seemed like a good day to share her iconic, if divisive, cranberry relish recipe.

One of our Friendsgiving collaborators makes a version of this every year, and I am decidedly in favor of this recipe.

Here’s Susan:

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed

1 small onion

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar (red is a bit milder than white)

Grind the raw berries and onion together. (I use an old-fashioned meat grinder. I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.)

Add everything else and mix.

Put in a plastic container and freeze.

Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. (It should still have some little icy slivers left.)

The relish will be thick, creamy and shocking pink. (OK, Pepto-Bismol pink.) It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It's also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.

*****

That roast beef suggestion is a good call.

My role in Thanksgiving is usually whipping up cocktails, so I thought I’d share what I’m making this year. I don’t have a name for it, but for the purposes of this newsletter, let’s call it the NPR AF.

It’s a gin cocktail with apple and fennel. While it’s not quite local, I’m using Neversink Gin, which is distilled from NYS apples macerated in juniper berries. Local apples and cider, obviously, and for the sake of argument, let’s say I scored some local fennel too.

First up, you make a fennel simple syrup by grinding a tablespoon of fennel seed, then adding it to a saucepan with half a cup of water and half a cup of sugar. Bring that to a simmer and cook it down for about five minutes, then set aside to cool. Once it’s around room temperature, strain it through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth.

Okay, now the real work. In a cocktail shaker full of ice, combine half an ounce of syrup, 1.5 oz of gin, ¾ oz of apple cider, and 2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters (Peychaud’s is pretty mellow. You can try other, bigger bitters if you want. I’m partial to anything from Fee Brothers, and their Black Walnut works nicely here).

Shake that and pour it into a lowball glass over fresh ice. You can top it with club soda if you want to mellow it out a little bit. Garnish with an apple slice, maybe even some nice fronds from that fennel bulb, and serve it up!

I hope you find some quiet time among the chaos of the holiday weekend. See you soon, Sourcers!

Yours,

Bob Proehl

Locally Sourced editor

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Tom Jolu has a particular ability to bring listeners along with him as he looks back, forward or is simply present. His third studio album, Fools, Friends, And the Great Beyond, truly feels like you're on the road with the band. Wheels turning on the van, eating cheap rest stop food, sleeping on couches, creating moments that might seem trivial or standard but stick with you long after. 

Stay Sharp, Sunshine feels like Tom is asking us to sit down with him and reflect on the past. The album opens with ocean sounds and what seems to be an innocent, almost adolescent, organ sound. It feels, at first, very sweet and sincere but slowly devolves into what feels like an on-coming nightmare. 

The album carefully walks us through intimate songs that explore a relationship that has come and gone. The intimate songs on this album are awash reverb and ethereal textures using instruments like banjo, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, piano, organ and synth. 

The second track on the album, "No Regrets," really stands out. The instrumentation in the first two thirds of the song is very reminiscent of what Tom does as a solo musician. Acoustic guitar, tambourine/shaker, kick drum, add in some ethereal vocals and a lovely glockenspiel, you would have no idea where the last third of the song is going. The ninety degree turn, something I am sucker for in song writing, slowly creeps in with a beautiful tremolo guitar, distant drums that give the rest of the song this sloshing feeling. Like you’re in the ocean just letting the current move you, not struggling, not fighting back just accepting. 

The peaks and valleys throughout this album really make it feel like a full journey, so take some time to sit down with Tom and go on this journey with him. 

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The Grumpy Grizzly, Waverly NY

Every once in a while, you find a coffee shop that immediately earns a spot on your favorites list—and for me, The Grumpy Grizzly in Waverly has done just that. This little spot has everything going for it: a huge drink selection, perfectly portioned coffees, and a witty, cheerful vibe that makes it impossible not to smile when you walk in.



I stopped by on my way back to the station after an event and ordered their French Toast Iced Coffee. Let me tell you—it was like drinking breakfast in the best possible way. Not too sweet, just the right touch of maple-y coziness, topped with cold foam and a caramel drizzle. Absolutely my kind of treat, and one I look forward to every time I visit.

Another fun bonus? The Grumpy Grizzly has an attached gift shop and serves breakfast and lunch, making it a great all-in-one stop. Just a heads-up: they recently started closing on Mondays, and if you pop in early morning, be ready for a short wait—the line forms fast!

✈️ Bonus Sip: Las Vegas Edition

I also traveled to Las Vegas in early November for a Raiders game with my wife, and of course I managed to find a coffee spot inside the stadium. At halftime, I grabbed an Iced Bourbon Vanilla Latte and it was exactly the pick-me-up I needed after battling a three-hour time change and daylight savings. Smooth, sweet, and surprisingly refreshing for stadium coffee—10/10 halftime decision. 

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