How Do Farmers Harvest Cranberries?

Cranberries grow in bogs and marshes.

Cranberries grow in sandy bogs and marshes, usually near wetlands. According to FarmInfo.org, Massachusetts is the leading state in production of cranberries. Cranberries are usually ready to be harvested between mid-September and mid-November.

History

According to OceanSpray.com, the earliest cranberries were hand picked. Then harvesters began using wooden tools to remove berries from vines. Harvesting cranberries has evolved since then.

Wet Harvesting

The most common form of harvesting cranberries is wet harvesting, according to the Ocean Spray website. The bog is flooded with up to 18 inches of water, causing cranberries to float to the surface. Water reels are used to loosen the berries. The berries then rise to the top of the water and are gathered by people walking through the bogs. Cranberry juice and cranberry sauce are made from berries harvested using the wet-harvesting method.

Dry Harvesting

Fresh berries sold in the produce section of your supermarket are harvested by using the dry method. A machine is used to pull the berries from vines and gather them into a sack attached to the machine.

References

• The Small Farm Resource: Growing Cranberries
• Ocean Spray: What's a Bog?

Resources

• Cape Cod Growers Association