ALL ABOUT THE CRANBERRY

Here at Ocean Spray we like cranberries. We really, really like cranberries. We probably know cranberries better than anyone. But the funny thing is most people don't know that much about them. We'd like to change that.

A long history

Cranberries are actually one of the most unique fruits in the world. In fact, it's only one of three fruits that are native to North America. They are a wild fruit that grow on long-running vines in sandy bogs and marshes. Mostly in the northeast, but also in other parts of North America, like Wisconsin and the Pacific Northwest. It was Native Americans who first took advantage of cranberries. They mixed deer meat and mashed cranberries to make pemmicana-survival food. They also believed in the medicinal value of cranberries--long before science discovered cranberry's health benefits! Medicine men would use cranberries in poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds. They also used the rich red juice of the cranberry as a natural dye for rugs, blankets and clothing. Legend has it that the Pilgrims served cranberries at the first Thanksgiving. The tradition still continues today.

What's in a name?

So when did cranberries start getting called cranberries? It took awhile actually. Cranberries were called "sassamanesh" by Eastern Indians. While the Cape Cod Pequots and the South Jersey Leni-Lenape tribes named them "ibimi," or bitter berry. A very apropos name. And the Algonquins of Wisconsin called the fruit "atoqua." But it was the early German and Dutch settlers who started calling it the "crane berry" because the flower looked a lot like the head and bill of a crane.

It wasn't until the 1800's that people began farming cranberries. At first growers would pick the cranberries by hand. But eventually they developed more efficient dry harvesting techniques. Then came a revolutionary idea called wet harvesting. That's when the bog is flooded with water and the cranberries float to the surface, where they are easily scooped up. Click here if you want to know more about the bog and harvesting.

One Very Healthy Berry

The cranberry has also had a long history of health benefits. As we said earlier, Native Americans were the first to take advantage of the cranberry's unique benefits. Sailors used cranberries as a source of vitamin C to prevent scurvy. And besides Vitamin C, we now know that cranberries are also full of antioxidants that help cleanse and purify the body. Click here for more information about all the great health benefits of the cranberry.

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