Cranberries

The cranberry was an important staple in North America, even before the Pilgrim Fathers arrived. To this day, New England, the West Coast and the Canadian borders are the biggest producers of this tart little fruit. Cranberries grow in wetlands and bogs and during harvest, in the autumn, growers use machines resembling large egg beaters to comb through the low vines shaking the fruit off. The bog is then flooded and the cranberries float to the surface, where they are easily collected. Cranberries are too tart to eat raw and are always processed, usually into drinking juice or into a sauce used as a filling for pies and tarts, as well as a relish for turkey. Dried cranberries can be used in baking cookies, muffins and cakes.