This Michigan-grown fruit hits its prime season with consumers in November.
According to University of Maine Cooperative Extension, American Indians used cranberries as a food source, to dye fabric and as medicine. The cranberry is one of only three commercially-produced fruits that are native to North America (the other two are blueberries and Concord grapes). Cranberries can actually be found from the Polar Regions to the tropics, in both hemispheres. Due to the importance of cranberries in the 1500s and their abundance, it is believed that the pilgrims and the American Indians would have eaten them at the first Thanksgiving.
Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not actually grow in water. Cranberries grow on a low-growing, perennial vine. Cranberry vines can grow up to six feet in length and can live over 100 years. Cranberry vines prefer a habitat of bogs of made of impermeable layers of sand, peat, gravel and clay. Cranberries harvested for juice or canning, are often “wet harvested,” which means the bogs are flooded with water after the dark red, ripe berries have fallen off the vines. The ripe berries float in the water and are sucked into a machine for processing. To view a short video of a wet cranberry harvest, check out this Wonderopolis website, which is popular with K-12 educators.
Michigan has approximately 300 acres of commercially produced cranberries. The most common areas for commercial cranberry bogs are the Upper Peninsula, the Northern Lower Peninsula and Southwest Michigan. The Michigan Ag Council reports that the Michigan cranberry industry is expected to expand in the future. The Michigan Cranberry Company near Cheboygan, Michigan holds tours of their operations one day each October for consumers interested in learning more. To find Michigan cranberries sold in your region, conduct a search on www.localharvest.org, which lists several farmers markets and on-farm markets.
According to the Cranberry Institute, many health professionals recommend cranberries to support urinary health. Cranberries have a tart flavor, which can compliment the sweetness of some foods. For some unique recipes using whole, fresh cranberries, check out this link from Bon Appetit and this Canned Cranberry Orange Chutney recipe from North Carolina State University Extension. For a recipe using dried cranberries, you might consider this Apple Cranberry Crisp recipe from the University of Illinois Extension or check out the Pinterest cranberry board by MSU Extension’s Michigan Fresh campaign.
Michigan State University Extension offers a variety of educational programs to support consumers and producers interested in eating healthy and expanding Michigan’s local food system.
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FAQs
Due to the importance of cranberries in the 1500s and their abundance, it is believed that the pilgrims and the American Indians would have eaten them at the first Thanksgiving.
Why are cranberries eaten at Thanksgiving? ›
Cranberries are one of the only Native American fruits
Other than that, we can only speculate as to what was on the menu. Native Americans were known to eat cranberries regularly and use them as a natural dye for clothing, so chances are they were found on Thanksgiving Day, 1621.
Is it true that about 8 million cranberries are served during Thanksgiving week? ›
400 million pounds of cranberries are consumed by Americans each year. Twenty percent of that is during the week of Thanksgiving. That's 80 million pounds! 5,062,500 gallons of jellied cranberry sauce are consumed by Americans every holiday season.
What uses did cranberries have during the first Thanksgiving? ›
The event that Americans commonly call the “first Thanksgiving” was a feast attended by Native American Wampanoag people and survivors of the Mayflower (Pilgrims) in October 1621. Cranberries were a known fruit to the Wampanoag tribe—who used it as a dye, medicine and food.
How many cranberries are eaten on Thanksgiving? ›
Not all the statements about cranberries are true. That first statement that 50% of all cranberries are eaten at Thanksgiving time is false. Americans eat more than 400 million pounds of cranberries every year, and 20 percent, not 50%, is consumed during the week of Thanksgiving. But that's still 80 million pounds.
What fruit did they eat at the first Thanksgiving? ›
Pilgrims liked pumpkins. According to accounts, they used to hollow them out, fill them with milk and honey to make a custard, and then roast the orange orbs in hot ashes.
What is the tradition of cranberries at Christmas? ›
Stringing cranberries for Christmas trees is a tradition that probably began back in the 1840's with the earliest Americans who decorated their trees with fruits, nuts, and candies.
What are 5 true facts about Thanksgiving? ›
Thanksgiving history facts
- Thanksgiving dates back to 1621. ...
- The first Thanksgiving feast was three days long. ...
- Thanksgiving became a holiday in 1863. ...
- For Native Americans, it's a day of quiet reflection and prayer. ...
- 293.3 million people will eat turkey this Thanksgiving. ...
- Thanksgiving football was initially a college tradition.
Today, Wisconsin produces roughly 60% of the U.S. cranberry harvest, followed by Massachusetts, Oregon and New Jersey.
Are cranberries grown in water? ›
No. It is a common misconception that cranberries are grown in water. Water is used during harvest to float the fruit for easier collection, and during the winter months to protect the plants from freezing and desiccation. The rest of the year the fruit is grown on dry beds.
"Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture," says the United American Indians of New England. They've marked the occasion as a day of mourning for 48 years, according to Native Hope.
What president refused to declare Thanksgiving a holiday? ›
Thomas Jefferson was famously the only Founding Father and early president who refused to declare days of thanksgiving and fasting in the United States.
What did pilgrims call cranberries? ›
The Pilgrims gave this fruit the name "crane berry" because its pink blossom reminded them of the head of a crane, a large wading bird. Over the years its name has been shortened to cranberry.
Why are cranberries important to Thanksgiving? ›
Actually, cranberries graced the table of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving. Cranberries are one of the few fruits (blueberries and Concord grapes are among the others) that are native to North America.
What are some fun facts about cranberries? ›
Cranberries are native to North America (as are blueberries and Concord grapes). Historians generally agree that cranberries were part of the first Thanksgiving feast, but no one is quite sure how they were served. Cape Code Pequots and South Jersey Leni-Lenape tribes called cranberries "ibimi," or bitter berry.
What do cranberries symbolize? ›
They also used cranberries as a symbol of peace and friendship. Native Americans also used cranberries for dying rugs or blankets, and as medicine for treating wounds and preventing illness. Adapted from Food is Medicine: Dream of Wild Health Healthy Lifeways Cookbook, 2015.
What did the Pilgrims use cranberries for? ›
"Colonists never ate anything like pemmican within the tradition they had, which was mostly stuffings and puddings." Food historian Albala agrees: "The Europeans used cranberries the way they would have used similar fruits ... as a sour fruit sauce with wild fowl."
Did Native Americans use cranberries for more than just cooking? ›
TRUE– Native Americans used cranberries for cooking, but they also used them to treat arrow punctures and other wounds. They also used the fruit to dye fabric. The name “cranberry” came from the Pilgrims - the drooping pink blossoms in the spring reminded them of a crane.
Is cranberry Christmas or Thanksgiving? ›
With Thanksgiving coming up in just a few weeks, you likely have started planning the Thanksgiving menu or if you are not responsible for the food, you are planning what you will eat. Besides the obvious turkey, one of the symbols of the holiday is the cranberry.
