Cranberry

Cranberries grow on low plants. These plants have small green leaves.

The plants have dark pink flowers. Bees visit the flowers to help them grow.

First, the berries are light green. Then, they turn red when they are ripe. The berries taste very sharp.

Farmers grow them in wet areas called bogs. In the fall, they flood the beds with water. The red berries float in the water.

People use the berries for juice and jam. They also make a red sauce for dinner.

Cranberries are small plants that grow close to the ground.

These plants are low shrubs or vines. They have thin stems and small green leaves. The flowers are dark pink. Bees visit these flowers to help them grow.

The fruit is a berry. It starts out light green. It turns red when it is ripe. The berries have a sharp, acidic taste.

Farmers grow cranberries in special beds. These beds are often in bogs. A bog is a wet, marshy area. In the fall, farmers flood the beds with water. This helps them harvest the fruit. The red berries float on top of the water.

Most cranberries are made into juice or jam. Some are dried with sugar. In the U.S. and Canada, people eat cranberry sauce with turkey.

In 2021, the U.S. grew many cranberries. Wisconsin was the largest producer. It grew 59% of the total crop.

Cranberries are special plants that grow as low shrubs or vines.

They like to live in cool areas with acidic bogs. A bog is a very wet, marshy place. These plants have thin, wiry stems and small evergreen leaves. Their flowers are a dark pink color. Bees visit these flowers to help the plants make fruit.

The fruit is a berry that is bigger than the leaves. It starts out light green and turns red when it is ripe. These berries have a sharp, acidic taste. Most cranberries are turned into juice, sauce, or jam.

Growing cranberries involves a very interesting way of working with water.

Farmers build beds in upland areas with a shallow water table. They scrape off the topsoil and add clean sand. The surface is leveled flat so water drains away evenly. During the growing season, the beds are not flooded. Instead, farmers use irrigation to keep the soil moist. They only flood the beds in the autumn to help with the harvest. In the winter, they flood the beds again to protect the vines from the cold.

People have been studying and growing these berries for a long time.

A man named Henry Hall first cultivated them in Dennis, Cape Cod, around 1816. In the 1820s, he shipped them to cities like New York and Boston. Other farmers like Eli Howes and Cyrus Cahoon planted their own crops later. In the 1920s, scientists worked to breed plants that could resist insects. One insect, the blunt-nosed leafhopper, could cause a disease called false blossom. Later, in the 1980s, breeders like Dr. Nicholi Vorsa worked to create plants that grow more fruit.

There are many different types of cranberries around the world.

The common cranberry, or *Vaccinium oxycoccos*, grows in Europe and Asia. The American cranberry, or *Vaccinium macrocarpon*, grows in the United States and Canada. In 2020, the U.S., Canada, and Chile produced 97% of all cranberries. In 2021, the United States harvested a huge amount of fruit. Wisconsin was the biggest producer, making 59% of the total U.S. crop. Other important states for growing include Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon.

Harvesting the berries is a big job that happens in the fall.

Most farmers use a method called wet-picking. They flood the beds with water until it is above the vines. Because cranberries float, a machine can move through the water to collect them. This is how most berries are gathered. About 5% to 10% of the crop is dry-picked instead. This uses smaller machines that walk behind a person. Dry-picked berries are not bruised, so they are often sold as fresh fruit.

Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines. They belong to the subgenus Oxycoccus within the genus Vaccinium. These plants are unique because they grow in acidic bogs in cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Cranberries are important both as a food source and as a subject of agricultural study. Most are processed into juices, sauces, jams, or sweetened dried fruit. In the United States and Canada, cranberry sauce is a traditional part of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

The physical structure of the cranberry plant is quite distinct. They are low-growing, creeping plants with slender, wiry stems. These stems are not heavily woody, and the plants feature small evergreen leaves. The flowers are a dark pink color and have unique reflexed petals. This means the petals curve backward, leaving the style and stamens fully exposed.

Bees are responsible for pollinating these flowers. The fruit is a berry that grows larger than the plant's leaves. The berries start as a light green color and turn deep red once they are ripe. They have a very acidic taste that often outweighs their natural sweetness.

Scientists classify cranberries into different species based on their growth and appearance. The subgenus Oxycoccus contains several distinct types. The common cranberry, *Vaccinium oxycoccos*, has small leaves with inrolled margins and is found in Europe and Asia.

The small cranberry, *Vaccinium microcarpum*, is similar but has more triangular leaves and hairless flower stems. The American cranberry, *Vaccinium macrocarpon*, is larger with long, flat leaves and an apple-like taste. It is native to northern North America. Another species, *Vaccinium erythrocarpum*, is a deciduous shrub found in the southern Appalachian Mountains. It produces translucent scarlet berries.

Finally, *Vaccinium japonicum* is found in the alpine areas of East Asia.

The history of cranberry cultivation is tied to early American settlers. Henry Hall, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, first cultivated them in Dennis, Cape Cod, around 1816.

By the 1820s, Hall was shipping his crops to New York City and Boston. Other farmers like Eli Howes and Cyrus Cahoon followed, planting specific varieties like "Howes" and "Early Black" in the mid-1800s. By 1900, cultivation was widespread throughout the New England region.

Modern cranberry farming uses highly controlled methods to ensure a good harvest. Instead of natural wetlands, farmers build beds in upland areas with shallow water tables. They scrape away topsoil and add a layer of clean sand, which is about 2 to 3 inches deep. The surface is laser-leveled to allow for even drainage.

During the growing season, the beds are kept moist with irrigation but are not flooded. Farmers only flood the beds in the autumn to make harvesting easier and in the winter to protect the vines from frost. In cold places like Wisconsin, the winter flood freezes into ice. This allows trucks to drive onto the ice to spread sand, which helps control pests and rejuvenates the vines.

Harvesting typically occurs from September through early November, ideally after the first frost. Most farmers use a method called wet-picking. They flood the beds with water until the level is above the vines. Because cranberries float, a water reel harvester can drive through the water to collect them.

About 5% to 10% of the U.S. crop is harvested using dry-picking. This involves motorized, walk-behind harvesters that move between the vines. While dry-picking is more expensive and yields less fruit, the berries are less bruised. This makes them better for the fresh fruit market.

Global production is concentrated in just a few locations. In 2020, the United States, Canada, and Chile produced 97% of the world's cranberries. In 2021, the United States produced a massive harvest, with Wisconsin alone accounting for 59% of the total U.S. output. Other major producers include Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon.

Breeding has also changed how these plants grow. In the 1920s, breeders focused on making plants resistant to the blunt-nosed leafhopper, which carries false blossom disease. In the 1980s, the focus shifted toward high-yielding varieties, such as those developed by Dr. Nicholi Vorsa at Rutgers University. Today, breeders balance high yields with environmental safety and pest resistance.