The Humble Cranberry

    


  Cranberries are an interesting fruit. They are tangy but sweet and good in a variety of dishes. I personally love cranberries and want them in everything all the time, so it is just my luck that I am engaged to a man that is allergic to cranberries. Cranberries have a long history full of booms and busts. It is much more than the cranberry sauce that we serve beside the turkey (see previous blog).
       Cranberries are native to North America and grow all over the continent; relatives of the plant grow all over the world. They grow in bogs and are harvested in September and October by flooding the bogs. When the bogs are flooded the ripe berries float to the top where they can be gathered and prepared for market. Throughout the 1800s many regions have had cranberry industries; New Jersey, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest and most recently Maine have all had a part in growing the crop. In the early 20th century Maine experienced a bust in the industry. A combination of lack of frost prevention, the spread of disease and lack of demand during World War One almost wiped out the Maine cranberry farmers. In recent decades cranberries have made a comeback. Many new cranberry farms have sprung up and are producing good product. Also, cranberries are widely known as a super fruit and are in all sorts of drinks all year round. 
       The humble cranberry is a fruit that has had a very dynamic history and continues to thrive in American culture. I would not think my Thanksgiving complete without some cranberry salad and some of my mom's Crimson Cranberry Bars. Cranberries are a traditional food for Thanksgiving and I hope they will continue to be a staple at our tables for decades to come.


http://umaine.edu/cranberries/cranberry-facts-and-history/