Cranberry Bogs
I have to admit, I didn't really know how cranberries found it from the field into my cupboard. On a beautiful sunny day we set out from my Aunt Sue's house in Duxbury, Ma. to find out. We traveled down the back roads, filled with beautiful trees, dressed in their fall wardrobe, until we found a cranberry bog. This one had already been harvested, but we got out of the car and proceeded to the bogs edge to see what the field looked like. There were still cranberries on the side of the field and we picked some up to take back to the house with us. I decided to venture into the field a little ways to get to a large pile of juicy red berries calling out to me, and found out why bog means "extremely soft soil filled with water!" With wet shoes and socks I climbed back in the car and we headed on down the road.
About a mile or so later we came across this field, in harvest mode. We parked at the end of the field and walked in about a half mile to where the action was. We spent the better part of the hour talking to the workers, and learning all about how they harvest the berries. They were using two different methods, flooding & dry harvest. They use the water method for the berries that will be used in sauces and juice, and the dry method for the fancy things, like chocolate covered cranberries. It was a great learning experience, and one of the highlights of my trip so far. This is the website of the company that we visited if you want to check it out.
www.edgewoodbogs.com
