Although varieties of cranberries are found growing wild throughout
Europe, Asia and North America, only the native North American berries
have been cultivated commercially. Native to acid bogs, cranberries
were an important source of food, medicine and decoration for native
peoples who introduced them to early North American explorers and
English colonists. The first commercial beds were planted in Massachusetts
by a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and the industry has evolved
to increase yields and facilitate harvest.
Description:
Cranberries grow on low, vining, perennial plants which produce
long horizontal stems and short upright branches. The colder northern
temperatures enable our growers to produce fruit without the use
of fungicides. They are cultivated in beds or bogs, and their flowers
point downward resembling a crane’s head; thus, the original
name “craneberry”. The resulting dark red, large berries
are sour and astringent, requiring sweetening to make them a tart
and appealing dried fruit. Dried cranberries are used in a variety
of baking and confectionery applications, for cereals and granolas,
as well as in snacks and trail mixes. Bedemco offers a full line
of cranberry products, including conventional and organic, flavored,
juice infused and unsweetened products.
Our cranberries are not a by-product of juice production; they
are produced from natural berries, providing all of the healthful
benefits of the fruit. Scientific research continues to reveal new
health attributes for cranberries. The fruit is packed with vitamin
C and fiber, as well as antioxidants and other natural compounds.
The juice has long been used to relieve urinary tract infections,
and current research indicates that the fruit may also have hypoglycemic
activity to assist in lowering blood sugar.
Harvest:
The fruit is harvested between September and October in two ways
– wet harvest or dry harvest. The most common is wet or water
harvest, in which the beds are flooded with water, the fruit floats
to the surface and is shaken from the vine by a specialized harvester.
The floating fruit is then corralled, removed and sent for processing.
Dry harvesting is by means of a mechanized picking machine.
Origin: