| ounded the corner on our favorite route back | | | | vegetation, makes a fertile and moist natural |
| from Sesuit Harbor in Dennis this fall, Rich and I | | | | habitat for cranberries. Water draining from |
| happened upon a cranberry bog in full harvest. It | | | | adjoining ponds and lakes provides protection |
| was one of those rare October days when the | | | | against frost for the young vines, which begin |
| sky is impossibly blue, the sun warm, and the | | | | their annual cycle in early spring. |
| primary colors of summer softly waning autumnal. | | | | Today, commercial growers create bogs from |
| There in the midst of the bog the thrashers were | | | | appropriate areas by scraping off top brush, |
| churning slowly back and forth shaking the berries | | | | replacing it with sand, and planting young vines. |
| loose. Floating gently on the surface of the water, | | | | The cranberries are ripe for harvest September |
| the fruit glistened in the bright sunshine. A brisk | | | | through October. There are two ways to harvest |
| wind guided them slowly towards the edge of the | | | | cranberries: dry and wet. In a dry harvest, a |
| bog. Armed with his brand new SLR camera, Rich | | | | machine that also trims the plants is rolled along |
| felt as if he had hit the motherload of photo ops. | | | | the bogs, collecting berries, which are stored in |
| We spent over an hour watching the harvest, | | | | large crates Then a helicopter lifts the crates off |
| talking with the farmers, and taking pictures | | | | the bogs so as not to damage next year's buds, |
| knowing that our guests would be interested in | | | | which are already forming. |
| learning as much as we could share with them | | | | In a wet harvest, the bogs are flooded. A |
| about the humble cranberry. So, here in a nutshell, | | | | wide-tired machine called a water reel moves |
| is our newfound wealth of knowledge about Cape | | | | through the bog and beats the water, knocking |
| Cod cranberries and harvesting. | | | | the berries off the vines. Then, workers assemble |
| Famous for its tartness and beautiful color, the | | | | miles of yellow tubing, called a boom, that corrals |
| cranberry is an essential part of Thanksgiving, as | | | | the berries into a conveyer belt . |
| well as Cape Cod's namesake cocktail. Cranberries | | | | While on your visit here, try some of the many |
| are big business here on Cape Cod as well as | | | | products made with cranberries and/or observe a |
| many parts of southeastern Massachusetts. The | | | | cranberry harvest. The Cranberry Harvest |
| cranberry industry in Massachusetts does about | | | | Festival in Harwich, usually held in mid-September, |
| $200 million in revenue annually and employs 5,600 | | | | is a week-long celebration of this humble but |
| people. One tenth of the cranberries grown in the | | | | tasty fruit, including food booths, music, crafts, a |
| state are grown here on Cape Cod. The | | | | pancake breakfast, and fireworks. Here at the |
| world-famous Ocean Spray factory is located in | | | | high Pointe Inn we serve Cranberry Vanilla jam |
| Plymouth and has tours for the public. | | | | made by the Chatham Jam and Jelly Shop in |
| Native Americans living on the cool, northern | | | | season. It is perfect with Rich’s homemade |
| areas of North America showed early settlers | | | | popovers and biscuits. |
| how to pick the ibimi (their word) which grew wild | | | | Fascinating Factoids |
| in bogs. The settlers called them "Crane-berries" | | | | Each acre of planted cranberries, in accordance |
| because their blossoms resembled the heads of | | | | with Massachusetts law, must be surrounded by |
| cranes, and the berries were a valuable source of | | | | four acres of wetlands. |
| vitamin C, used by sailors to prevent scurvy The | | | | The variety grown by most growers on the Cape |
| tart-tasting cranberry rendered the drab, gamey | | | | is early black, which although is it the most costly |
| diet of colonial people palatable in the winter | | | | and difficult variety to grow, provides a rich, dark |
| months. | | | | color to the juice. |
| Because cranberries require constant moisture, a | | | | Cranberries are also grown in Washington, |
| bog, which is a spongy, low lying wetland that | | | | Oregon, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. |
| holds water and is full of ancient decayed | | | | |