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Cranberries: Berries
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Cranberries are harvested from mid-September through October. Cranberries for the fresh market are harvested mechanically without flooding. In Wisconsin, the bogs are flooded a few inches to cushion the fruit. Cranberries destined for processing are harvested by flooding the bogs with eight to 10 inches of water. A machine with a beater is driven through the bogs to remove the berries from the vines. The cranberries float to the surface and are corralled and conveyed to a truck.
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Cranberries are harvested in September and October by one of two methods. Most are harvested via a “wet” method, where growers flood the plants and loosen the fruit by machine. The fruit then floats to the top. Most of these berries are used for processing. Some fruits are harvested for fresh market via a “dry” method, using mechanical comb-like pickers.
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Cranberries may be preserved by drying like raisins, they may be processed as juice, and of course, that are available as canned Cranberry sauce, either as whole berries or as a puree. They are ... available as fresh berries, which presents them as an entirely different food, being tart and full flavored. In any form, they are an excellent garnish for meats and they are, of course, especially popular during the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Cranberries may be tiny and tart, but their health benefits appear to be huge and sweet. Several studies presented at the Experimental Biology 2002 meeting this week and at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society earlier this month show that the ruby red berries were the most potent antioxidants among common fruits studied, possess anticancer properties, inhibit the growth of common foodborne pathogens and contain antibacterial properties to aid in the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
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In the early 1800s it was discovered that when the wind blew sand over the bogs, the cranberries grew much more vigorously. Commercial cultivation began as swampy lowlands were cleared and bogs were created with layers of peat and sand. The sand gave the bogs better drainage and ... helped protect the cranberries when the temperatures were freezing. Though they need a cool growing season, they are susceptible to frost. To combat this, growers today use sprinkler systems. As the water from the sprinklers freezes over the flesh of the fruit, the berries are kept from freezing.
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Cranberries belong to the family Ericaceae and are related to rhododendron, blueberry and heather. Known botanically as Vaccinium macrocarpon , cranberries grow on a trailing, evergreen vine. The common name of cranberry comes from crane berry, so named because the flower is said to resemble the head and neck of a sandhill crane.
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