Cranberry Facts

Cranberries are one of the most interesting berries. Here are some fascinating facts about this flavourful fruit:

	Cranberries are native only to North America.
	Early pilgrims thought the cranberry blossom resembled the head of a crane and called them 'crane berries'. (See pic at top of page, too)
	Cranberries DO NOT grow in water!
	Cranberries are harvested in water because it makes picking easier. Cranberry vines form a dense ground cover. Flooding floats the cranberries out of the tangled vines, making them easier to pick. (see pics at top of page)
	Cranberries are commonly planted from cuttings, not seeds.
	Cranberries are perennial, but it takes 5 years for a newly planted bed to become established and produce a full crop.
	Cranberries grow on an evergreen vine - that means they keep their leaves year round, but the leaves actually turn deep burgundy during the plant's dormant cycle.
	The first bog was planted in Massachusetts in 1816. William MacNeil planted Canada's first commercial bog in Nova Scotia in 1870.
	The natives who discovered cranberries used them for food, medicine and dye. Cranberries were so important, myths were created. According to one tribe, cranberries were a gift from the Great Spirit brought to earth in the beak of a dove.
	Cranberries have a host of health benefits and were very important to early settlers. Laws were even passed in some areas to ensure the wild bogs weren't picked illegally.
	Each grain of pollen a bee brings to the blossom means another seed in the cranberry.
	Cranberries need at least 20 seeds to be viable.
	Cranberry vines don't need to be replaced. They can continue producing indefinitely. Our beds have been producing for almost 60 years. You would only replant if you wanted another variety.
	The commercially planted species is Vaccinium macrocarpon.
	Within the species Vaccinium macrocarpon, there are over 100 cranberry varieties. We grow 5 different varieties on our farm.
	Vaccinium angustifolium is the name for lowbush blueberries. There are many other familiar berries within the Vaccinium genius.
	Vaccinium vitis-idaea is known as the preisselberre in Germany, the lingonberry in Sweden, the cowberry in England and also partridge berry, foxberry, upland cranberry, rock cranberry and mountain cranberry. It is a cousin of the cranberries we grow.