The Story of Cranberries and Their Many Uses
By Mark Mulcahy
Ever noticed how some national produce months or days fall in months you wouldn't expect? For instance, National Garlic Day and National Fresh Tomato Day are in April.
I would think garlic would be in the fall when its bulbs are harvested or that tomatoes would be in August when nearly every place in the country has fresh tomatoes available. Why would ‘Eat a Red Apple Day’ fall on December 1st? You get the idea.
Well, along these lines, October is National Cranberry Month—which I think should be November, as that is when the majority of fresh cranberries are consumed. But it's not worth getting caught up in all of that when we can spend our time appreciating the cranberries themselves!
We all love to eat them in sauces, muffins, pies, trail mix and more, but do you know how they are harvested?
According to the Cape Cod Growers Association, the cranberry harvest takes place once a year from mid-September through early November. There are two methods of harvesting cranberries. Dry harvesting involves using walk-behind machines to rake the berries off the vines into boxes or bags. Berries are removed from the bogs by either bog vehicles or helicopters, and then the fruit is delivered to fresh fruit receiving stations where it is graded and screened based on color and ability to bounce (soft berries will not bounce). Dry-harvested cranberries are used to supply the fresh fruit market and are most often used for cooking and baking.
As for wet harvesting, cranberries have pockets of air inside the fruit. Because of this, cranberries float in water; thus, the bogs can be flooded to aid in removing fruit from the vines. Water reels, nicknamed “egg-beaters,” are used to stir up the water in the bogs. By this action, cranberries are dislodged from the vines and float to the surface of the water. Healthy cranberries float! Wooden or plastic “booms” are used to round up the berries, which are then lifted by a conveyor or pumped into a truck to take them to the receiving station for cleaning.
More than 85 percent of the crop is wet-harvested. Wet-harvested cranberries are used for juices, sauces, or as ingredients in other processed foods. Pretty amazing, huh?
A perfect combo of flavors for October would be this Starkrimson Cranberry Cobbler, which expertly balances sweet and tart.
If you love Melissa's organic cranberries and want to keep them around a little longer, you can buy them from the website already dried. Or maybe try making your own dried cranberries at home to last you throughout the year! Here is a recipe I adapted from Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook:
Easy Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
12 oz. Melissa’s organic cranberries
2 quarts boiling water
1/4 cup organic sugar (optional)
Preparation
In a bowl, pour boiling water over the cranberries or submerge them in a pot of boiling water with the heat turned off. Let them sit in the water until the skin pops. Do not let the berries boil, or the flesh will turn mushy. Drain. If a sweeter berry is desired, coat the berries with granulated organic sugar. Transfer the berries to a cooking sheet and place them in a freezer for two hours. Freezing the berries helps break down the cell structure, promoting faster drying.
Turn on the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then, place the cranberries on a cookie sheet in the oven, turn off the oven, and let them sit overnight. Store dried cranberries in the freezer. Enjoy!
Quick tips for choosing organic cranberries:
While color is what draws us to the bag or bulk displays, it is not always the most reliable indicator of quality. Yes, you should choose cranberries that are a deep red color, but firmness is really the most important quality. The best tip is to choose berries that are very firm to the touch, fresh looking, plump, with a rich redness.
The firmness check starts at the farm during the harvest. Berries are rolled down a ramp of slanted boards and those with the most bounce that can make it over the boards are the ones that make it to market. A couple of years back, I visited a cranberry operation and had the chance to sort cranberries on old-fashioned ramps—it was quite a treat! If you ever get a chance to visit a cranberry farm, take it; it’s fascinating to watch the whole operation.
Once you’ve dried them, try this delicious dried cranberry recipe: Glazed Carrot Coins with Cranberries Sephardic.
With all these recipes I’ve found, I may be convinced to start enjoying them earlier than I have before, in their dedicated month. Perhaps you will, too!
I would think garlic would be in the fall when its bulbs are harvested or that tomatoes would be in August when nearly every place in the country has fresh tomatoes available. Why would ‘Eat a Red Apple Day’ fall on December 1st? You get the idea.
Well, along these lines, October is National Cranberry Month—which I think should be November, as that is when the majority of fresh cranberries are consumed. But it's not worth getting caught up in all of that when we can spend our time appreciating the cranberries themselves!
We all love to eat them in sauces, muffins, pies, trail mix and more, but do you know how they are harvested?
As for wet harvesting, cranberries have pockets of air inside the fruit. Because of this, cranberries float in water; thus, the bogs can be flooded to aid in removing fruit from the vines. Water reels, nicknamed “egg-beaters,” are used to stir up the water in the bogs. By this action, cranberries are dislodged from the vines and float to the surface of the water. Healthy cranberries float! Wooden or plastic “booms” are used to round up the berries, which are then lifted by a conveyor or pumped into a truck to take them to the receiving station for cleaning.
More than 85 percent of the crop is wet-harvested. Wet-harvested cranberries are used for juices, sauces, or as ingredients in other processed foods. Pretty amazing, huh?
If you love Melissa's organic cranberries and want to keep them around a little longer, you can buy them from the website already dried. Or maybe try making your own dried cranberries at home to last you throughout the year! Here is a recipe I adapted from Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook:
Easy Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
12 oz. Melissa’s organic cranberries
2 quarts boiling water
1/4 cup organic sugar (optional)
Preparation
In a bowl, pour boiling water over the cranberries or submerge them in a pot of boiling water with the heat turned off. Let them sit in the water until the skin pops. Do not let the berries boil, or the flesh will turn mushy. Drain. If a sweeter berry is desired, coat the berries with granulated organic sugar. Transfer the berries to a cooking sheet and place them in a freezer for two hours. Freezing the berries helps break down the cell structure, promoting faster drying.
Turn on the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then, place the cranberries on a cookie sheet in the oven, turn off the oven, and let them sit overnight. Store dried cranberries in the freezer. Enjoy!
Quick tips for choosing organic cranberries:
While color is what draws us to the bag or bulk displays, it is not always the most reliable indicator of quality. Yes, you should choose cranberries that are a deep red color, but firmness is really the most important quality. The best tip is to choose berries that are very firm to the touch, fresh looking, plump, with a rich redness.
The firmness check starts at the farm during the harvest. Berries are rolled down a ramp of slanted boards and those with the most bounce that can make it over the boards are the ones that make it to market. A couple of years back, I visited a cranberry operation and had the chance to sort cranberries on old-fashioned ramps—it was quite a treat! If you ever get a chance to visit a cranberry farm, take it; it’s fascinating to watch the whole operation.
Once you’ve dried them, try this delicious dried cranberry recipe: Glazed Carrot Coins with Cranberries Sephardic.
With all these recipes I’ve found, I may be convinced to start enjoying them earlier than I have before, in their dedicated month. Perhaps you will, too!
