In the USA, cranberries are grown industrially on huge plantations. In the fall, the red fruits are harvested - a spectacular event, as the fields are simply flooded and the berries are swept away by whirlpools. Such techniques are unlikely to be feasible in the home garden, which is why we will answer some important questions about "cranberry harvesting" in this article.

The wet harvest of the American cranberry

In the USA, the cranberry is of great culinary importance and it is hard to imagine a recipe without it. They have been a traditional part of the Thanksgiving menu since the days of the first settlers, the Pilgrim Fathers - along with the famous turkey. For this reason, the bright red berries are grown on large plantations. However, the fruits are not harvested by hand in autumn, but - due to the size of the cultivation area - with the help of water. To do this, the North American farmers flood the cranberry fields up to a height of 45 centimeters, so that the water level is higher than the bushes. The berries are loosened from the bushes by artificially generated water vortices and then crammed together in huge containers. The berries float on the water surface because they have enough buoyancy due to their four air chambers. By the way, because of this harvesting method, some people believe that cranberries only grow in water. Of course that's not true.

The harvest in the home garden

Your garden is probably not going to be as spectacular as on the American plantations. You will have to pick your berries by hand. But how do you actually know whether the cranberries are actually already ripe?

Characteristics of ripe cranberries

  • bright red to dark red skin
  • The flesh of the fruit is also red throughout
  • the berries should be plump and firm

Some advisors recommend only harvesting the fruit in January, as it is only then that it is fully ripe. However, this is not advisable, especially in our latitudes, because cranberries do not tolerate frost. The best time to harvest is between mid-September and late October. You can test beforehand whether the fruit is actually already ripe. To do this, pick a cranberry or two from the bush and cut them in half with a sharp knife. The flesh should also be red throughout. On the other hand, the fruit is unripe when the skin is red but the flesh is still green.

Harvesting and storing the ripe cranberries

To harvest the ripe berries, simply pluck them from the bush. Provided they are undamaged, the fresh fruit will keep in the refrigerator for about three weeks. You can eat the berries raw, but they taste much better processed into jam, sauce or compote. On the other hand, dried cranberries, which you can produce yourself with a little patience, are particularly durable and versatile.

tips and tricks

You can check the quality of the fruit with the "hop test". Only flawless berries jump up as soon as they fall on a smooth surface. Inferior quality or damaged ones, on the other hand, simply remain where they are.

Category:

Vegetable garden