Cranberries are grown in wetlands, and work in sand. They are harvested when the berries get red... pretty much what you see in these pictures, depending on the lighting. White berries are less mature than red ones, and go to an altogether different sort of cranberry juice. The bogs are flooded, the berries are loosed with a harvester (watch one in action in this article), pushed into a corner and pumped into a waiting truck. |
The price fluctuates wildly. 5 years passed between cranberries going for $65 a barrel and $18 a barrel. A poorly-timed November government report about possible cancer-causing pesticides used in cranberry cultivation collapsed the industry in 1959. This showed the industry that they couldn't rely on holiday sales alone. |
Cranberry sauce, which is about half sugar, was first offered to consumers in 1913, in Hanson, MA. Canned cranberry sauce came in 1941, allowing it to be available year round. |
Canned cranberry sauce made up a large part of food aid to Europe after WWII. Much like how Spam was introduced into England and became a Monty Python skit, cranberry sauce holds an odd spot in British culture. |
John Lennon always thought that "cranberry sauce" sounded funny. He also willingly wrote songs that bordered on gibberish. He said "cranberry sauce" in a strange voice for no reason other than mirth at the end of Strawberry Fields Forever. He did so while the Paul Is Dead conspiracy theory was beginning, and "cranberry sauce" was mistaken for "I buried Paul." People still believe it to this day, and think that an imposter has been portraying the Cute Beatle since 1965 or so. |
I'm probably omitting something famous, but the only other cranberry reference in popular music is the Wu Tang Clan singing about Cape Codders via "80 proof Absolut mixed with cranberry fruit juice, with a ginseng boost" in Reunited. I'm thinking that Bing Crosby must have cranberries in some Christmas song somewhere. |
I'm told that only the eye-scalding citric acid in cranberries kept the WWE from having the Divas wrestle in Cranberry Sauce as opposed to their formerly traditional Gravy Bowl matches. |
The red and white berries are sorted apart at the receiving plant. The red ones are better for sauce, while the white ones are a bit less flavorful and are used as a lightweight cranberry juice. |
I followed the cranberries I was shooting pics of all the way to Ocean Spray's gate. |
Happy Thanksgiving!! |
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