Cranberries come in different varieties. Here are a few from our bogs:

Meet Our Cranberry Varieties

Did you know?

Paradise Meadow was a "fancy" cranberry variety preferred for fresh fruit from the 1850's to the 1970's. UMass Cranberry Station, UMass Amherst.

A Pioneer in Organic Cranberries

Winter

As winter descends on New England growers flood their bogs with water to freeze and insulate the vines. Sand is then spread on the bog’s surface to encourage new upright growth once the ice has thawed.

In late winter (Feb, March) the water is removed and growers will begin to ready the bog for the growing season.

Spring

In spring, the dormant vines begin to awaken. They shift their deep cranberry hue to their vernal green. During these crucial growing months, farmers must take great care to protect the new growth from frost and pests.

Summer

By mid summer, buds will open to reveal the characteristic crane like flower of the cranberry. Once the blossom starts in June, growers can expect regular visits from native pollinators and will bring migratory bees to do the critical work that will bear fruit on the vines. Growers utilize one or two bee hives per acre of bog during bloom, early June through mid-July. The rest of the summer the berries will soak in the sun’s rays and grow from tiny pin heads to bulbous ripe cranberries beginning to take on their characteristic red hue by late August. When they do this it is said that the cranberries are "starting to blush."

Autumn

In mid September, dry harvesting for Early Blacks, the first varietal ready, will begin. A trip around Cranberry Country just about any day in October will provide picturesque views of the wet harvest.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, all the fruit will have been removed from the vines and the bogs soon will go dormant. As they rest and ready for the next season, their fruit, relinquished from the vine, will find its place at your table in a dish as special as the recipe itself.