One fall fruit that many people don’t know much about is the cranberry. These small red fruits, which are typically harvested from September through November, are grown in some of the most unique conditions of any plant on Earth.
The ingredients of a growing area that cranberries must have in order to be cultivated successfully are unlike most other plants’. The cranberry vine succeeds when placed in a specific environment that includes:
- Acidic peat soil
- Low-lying, wetland beds
- Adequate fresh water supply
- Soil that includes sand, peat, gravel, and clay
This means that cranberries often thrive when grown in areas that are marshy in nature. In many places, such as Massachusetts and in the New England region of the United States, commercial cranberry bogs are often located in formerly glacial environments.
Cranberry vines are allowed to spread and extend naturally, soaking up the water and nutrients that the soil provides to them.
When it comes time to harvest cranberries, growers flood the fields in which they are located in what is known as a “wet harvest.” Machines then dredge up the berries and concentrate them as they float on top of the water. It’s an extremely unique process that is virtually unknown by many.
So, when you enjoy a cranberry this fall, think about just how interesting the process of growing and collecting these little red fruits is!
