Interesting facts about cranberries - Page 2

Blue Baboon · 10-24-2008, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pk

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, wonder how many of the pounds consumed at this time of the year.

Americans consume some 400 million pounds of cranberries each year. About 80 million pounds -- or 20 percent -- are gobbled up during Thanksgiving week.

This number may be higher since the info was from 1996.

Blue Baboon · 10-24-2008, 03:32 PM

In winter, bogs and marshes remain flooded with water that freezes and insulates the vines from frost.

The hearty cranberry vine thrives in conditions that would not support most other crops- acidic soil with few nutrients, and can withstand low temperatures.

Cranberries grow on low lying vines (not underwater) in beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. These beds were originally created by glacial deposits.

Cranberry wetlands filter groundwater, recharge aquifies and control flooding by retaining water runoff.

Wisconsin grows almost 57% of the cranberries in the US, while Massachusetts accounts for another 28%, NJ and Oregon have 7% each and Washington accounts for most of the remainder.

Blue Baboon · 10-24-2008, 03:35 PM

Visitor info from Wis. Rapids on cranberry tours.

Cranberry Tours

CarolsCritterCare · 10-24-2008, 03:36 PM

here is a cute kids book about Thanksgiving

Amazon.com: Cranberry Thanksgiving: Harry Devlin: Books

Blue Baboon · 10-24-2008, 03:47 PM

Not only does Wis. Rapids have cranberry tours in the fall, they have a spring cranberry blossom festival.

Here you can also see a photo of the "crane berry" blossom and it really does resemble a crane's head and bill.

pk · 10-24-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

or 20 percent -- are gobbled up during Thanksgiving week.

now that's alot of cranberries for just one holiday season.

Blue Baboon · 09-16-2009, 03:35 PM

Just bumping this back up since cranberry harvest season is here and coming up is the Cranfest in Warrens.
Cranfest - Welcome to Cranfest Online!

My husband and I might be checking this out this year. I've never seen the bogs and thought the 50 mile cranberry highway might make an interesting drive and just in time for a little fall color.