Warren County Connection A Publication of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County
November 2020
Cranberries for Thanksgiving
By Dr. Leonard Perry, Horticulture Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont Turkey without cranberry sauce? For most Americans that's as unthinkable as Thanksgiving without turkey! In fact, even the Pilgrims enjoyed this versatile perennial fruit with their first Thanksgiving meal.
ited production in Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, and British Columbia. Production of cranberries requires a large amount of water--the equivalent of about 200 inches of rainfall a year for irrigation, frost protection, harvest, pest control, and The cranberry was a staple in the winter protection. Soil pH needs to diet of Native Americans who called be between 4.0 and 5.0 because it the "bitter berry." They introduced cranberries require low pH for adethis food to the early settlers and quate nutrient intake. In Massachutaught them how to make setts, the Cape Cod area is especially "pemmican" by pounding the cransuited for commercial cranberry proberries together with dried meat and duction. fat. The settlers also made meat sauces with cranberries, and mixed About 90 percent of the cranberries them with maple sap to make a are wet harvested. Bogs are flooded sweet breakfast syrup. just prior to harvest, then a floating harvester moves through the bog to The cranberry is a native American separate the berries from the vine. wetland plant that is grown in open The hollow fruit rises to the surface bogs and marshes from Newfoundwhere it is collected and corralled in land to western Ontario and as far a section of the bog. The fruit is south as Virginia and Arkansas. Alt- moved from the bog to the waiting hough stems (actually they are vines) trucks by elevator, then taken away are rather sensitive to cold, they’ll for processing. Fruit that is harvested withstand such submersion well. The by this method is processed into vine-like plant grows from six inches juice, sauce, and other cranberry to two feet long and has small, ever- products. The rest of the crop is dry green leaves and pinkish flowers. The harvested with a picking machine, berries are harvested in October, just which resembles a large lawn in time for Thanksgiving. mower. Although this method is less efficient, growers receive a higher Massachusetts is the leading produc- price for dry harvested fruit. These er (with about half of the total U.S. cranberries usually are packaged crop), followed by Wisconsin and and sold as fresh whole berries in New Jersey. In Canada, there is lim(Continued on page 3)
In this issue: Becoming Legal (Again)
3
Compost, Don’t Burn
4
Lichen in the Garden
5
The COVID-19 Pandemic is Affecting Your Memory
6
This Old House: Fall Maintenance Tips
7
Control Your Holiday Credit Card Debt
9
Holidays with Extended Family
9
Warren County Nonprofit Spotlight—CHAMP
10
Keeping Active During Fall 11 and Winter Turkey Pot Pie Soup
Special points of interest:
Calendar of Events
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