What are Cranberries?
Whether enjoying them as cranberry sauce next to their Thanksgiving turkey, as dried cranberries in their morning cereal, or as a refreshing juice, people have utilized this tart, red fruit in their meals and snacks for many years. In fact, the origins of the cranberry go back to the Native Americans who used it not only in food, but also as a dye and for medicinal purposes. Cranberries, blueberries, and the Concord grape are among the few fruits native to North America.
In the early 1800s, Captain Henry Hall became the first person to commercially farm cranberries in Dennis, MA. In modern times, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Quebec, and British Columbia are where the bulk of cranberries in the world are grown. Cranberries grow on vines which are very durable and can live indefinitely. Some vines are over 150 years old! There are two ways to harvest cranberries, wet and dry. In a wet harvest, the beds where the cranberries are grown are flooded, the cranberries are shaken loose from the vines with special tools, and then the cranberries are gathered when they float to the top of the water. In a dry harvest, a special machine is used to rake the cranberries off the vine. Most cranberries are harvested during September and October.
Like other fruits, cranberries offer health benefits. Cranberries contain antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins. One of the best known benefits of drinking cranberry juice is the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs). People have used cranberry juice for this purpose since the early 1900s. In the 1990s, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Rutgers University determined that specific components in the cranberry prevented the bacteria that causes UTIs from sticking to cells in the urinary tract, thereby flushing the bacteria from the body. Scientists are now researching the possibility that those components may also be helpful in the treatment of ulcers and gum disease.
For cranberry recipes simply enter "cranberry recipes" in your favorite search engine.
Written by Emma F
