Growing Cranberries

Cranberries are a unique American wetland fruit that can only grow and survive under a very special combination of soil, water supply, sand and a short growing season. Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. Instead, they grow on trailing vines, much like a strawberry in impermeable sandy beds. The vines can live hundreds of years.

Cranberries are harvested one of two ways late in the fall. During a wet harvest, the beds are flooded to float the fruit to the surface where it’s beaten from the vine, corralled, and shipped to a receiving station. Wet harvested fruit is used for processed cranberry products like juice and sauce while dry harvested fruit is generally packaged as fresh fruit. During a dry harvest, no water is used and the vines are combed using a special machine.