Cranberries are native to North America and are best known served with turkey and dressing. I personally prefer the canned jelly over the homemade dishes. They are grown on some 58,000 acres of farmland across the northern United States, Chile, and Canada.
Cranberries are considered by some to be a superfood due to their high nutrient and antioxidant content. Research shows them to be beneficial in reducing the risk of urinary tract infections, prevention of certain types of cancer, improving immune function, and decreasing blood pressure. Native Americans used cranberries as a treatment for bladder and kidney diseases. Early settlers from England used them to treat poor appetite, stomach complaints, blood disorders, and scurvy.
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) are evergreen shrubs that grow in bogs. They are red fruits that contain salicylic acid. Chemicals in cranberries keep bacteria from sticking to the cells in the urinary tract but do not remove bacteria already there.
They are low creeping shrubs, or vines, up to 7 feet in height with slender wiry stems. The flowers are dark pink and pollinated by bees. It is initially a green berry that will ripen to red and is edible but the acidity overwhelms its sweetness.
In 1550, James White Norwood made reference to Native Americans using cranberries, and it was the first reference to American cranberries up until this point.
Cranberry beds are flooded with 6 to 8 inches of water in the fall when the berries turn red. The cranberries float so a harvester is driven through the beds to remove the fruit from the vines.
Cranberries for fresh markets are stored in shallow bins or boxes with perforated or slatted bottoms, which deter decay by allowing air to circulate. Use the bounce test to tell if a cranberry is ripe or not.
Drop the cranberry on a hard surface like a cutting board and see if it bounces. Ripe cranberries are supple and not firm or soft. Bounce a few cranberries to determine if they are ripe or not. Use the ripe one as a guide and compare it with the feel of the others.
The sound of ripe cranberries comes from the bounce test- the berry should not plop or splat. Ripe cranberries bounce and make a noticeable ‘bong’ sound. Cranberries do not ripen after harvest! That’s why they should only pick the shiny, bright red to dark red. Shriveled berries or those with brown spots should not be picked.
