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Sunday, October 14, 2012

Harvest Time at the Cranberry Bog...


How exciting it was to watch the cranberry harvest in full swing this afternoon.  Some of you might remember that I live just a few minutes away from a gorgeous cranberry bog.  Here in Massachusetts our cranberries are usually harvested around this time of year.  The most common way to harvest cranberries is to water harvest them. The cranberry beds are flooded and the cranberry is beaten off the vine using a specialized harvester. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded onto trucks for delivery to where ever they go to be processed.  Wet harvested cranberries are used only for processed cranberry products like sauce and juice. Dry harvested fruit is combed from the vines using a mechanized picking machine.  There is no water  involved during this process. The dry cranberries are loaded into huge bins, washed and then packaged.

Here they are with a section of the corralled cranberries.  As you can see from my photos, I was fortunate enough to watch the wet harvest this afternoon.  I seem to always miss the dry harvest.

 Look at the size of the truck they just loaded.  That's a lot of cranberry sauce, wouldn't you say.

Take a look at how beautiful they are floating in their beds.  I had all I could do not to jump in and help.  The workers made it look so easy and fun.    I will be patient and wait to purchase my dry harvest bag of cranberries across the street at Great Brook Farm.  






26 comments:

  1. This makes me think of the 2 guys in the Ocean Spray commercials. They crack me up!

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  2. What Fun. So glad you took some picturs for us. I enjoyed tying the many cranberry recipes you posted last year. 'Tis the season.

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  3. I love cranberries and would love to see this in person. Great pictures.

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  4. What a fun thing to go and see. It reminded me of the commercials also.

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  5. How exciting! I'd LOVE to see this process! We are real fans of cranberries around here.

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  6. How awesome to see that! We saw bogs and a museum in wakefield, MA (I think) several years ago, but not harvesting. Thanks for the photos!

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  7. What a great post and photos . Not to often one gets to see how they do it ! It does look like fun . Yes that's the first thing I thought of was the Ocean Spray commercials with the two farmer dudes . Thanks for sharing . Have a great day !

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  8. Thanks for such great photos. I always heard they were wet harvested but it was nice to see how it is really done. I love cranberries.

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  9. I would love to see this in person! I am imagining how it would feel to swim in a pond like that if it was warmer!

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  10. Very interesting! Looks like a good year for cranberries:@)

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  11. I love this post! My grandmother grew up on a cranberry bog on Cape Cod. I loved listening to her stories. I hope you'll come share this at my blog fest: http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/10/farm-girl-blog-fest-4.html

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  12. I’ve never thought how cranberries were harvested so thank you for giving me the knowledge plus the photos are truly wonderful!!

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  13. A little group of church ladies always go and pick cranberries in one of our town's boggy areas. They wash them and bag them up and sell them at our Holiday Fair ... I've always wanted to go pick with them, but seem to be busy or out of town when they call around to get a group together ... you're not the only one to miss the boat!

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  14. Great photos! Cranberries are delicious and so pretty floating along in the bog or added to a string of popcorn. I've never seen an actual harvest such as this! Thanks for sharing!

    leslie

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  15. This is the second year that I have purchased locally grown cranberries at the Fryeburg Fair. These cranberries were harvested in Northern Maine, at a backyard bog run by mom and pop! I agree there is nothing like purchasing local produce. I have learned to stock up because once the cranberries are gone, there gone!!!!

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  16. I would love to see that. I have always wanted to visit a cranberry harvest like that. I just love seeing the pictures. I always by lots of extra bags for my freezer during the year but I never have enough. I love cranberries so much.
    What fun I am so glad you got to see it. I will put this on my list of things I want to see someday when I visit you. :)

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  17. That was so interesting! Aren't they such a lovely fruit? And super tasty too. Kit

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  18. That looks like a lot of fun! I bet it was hard to not jump in. :) I never knew wet harvest was only for sauces and juices. Interesting!

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  19. How lucky you are! And, Thank you for telling us about the cranberries! I didn't know the different methods or how they get used after. Here in CA we only see them in the bags at the store and in the can and dried....not how they got there. Isn't blogging the most wonderful method of learning??
    Thanks,
    Nancy
    http://wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

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  20. So beautiful, and so perfectly New England! :-)

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  21. Let's go on the 27th to pick up some berries! I can't wait to go back there! I love seeing them float the berries! Hmm, maybe some cranberry honey is in my future too!

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  22. WOW, I never ever saw fresh harvested cranberries, I wish i could :D

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  23. Thanks for sharing this post and these beautiful pictures!!!
    LOVE
    Manu

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  24. So cool!
    Thanks for sharing the pictures and writing a great post!!

    Smiles :)
    K.

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  25. I am so jealous! I have never seen (except in photos) how cranberries grow. How lucky you are to live so close and be able to get them so fresh! :)

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  26. I use to iceskate on a cranberry bog like this one. Love your photos, Susan :)
    Be well and happy,
    Pam

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