Cranberries are grown in the wild throughout the cooler countries of the Northern Hemisphere. It is a major commercial fruit in the States and Canada and also popular in Northern Europe. It is considered as a ‘must have’ in every thanksgiving and winter holidays.
The name ‘cran’ is a shortened word for the bird species, crane. The early settlers felt that the plant looks similar to the long neck, head and bill of the crane.
These little berries are white when young but will turn dark red when it ripens. The inside flesh still remains white with tinges of red. There are several small seeds found inside but all are edible. Only those fresh cranberries bounce. Discard those that don’t as they may have turned bad.
Cranberries are way too acidic to eat it raw, on its own. I would prefer to mix it with any other jams to sweeten it, instead of simply adding pure sugar.
Most cranberries are processed into sauce, juice and dried, leaving only a smaller percentage for the fresh market. It is considered as a superfruit due to the high nutrient and antioxidant content.
Cranberry; Cranberries; Vaccinium oxycoccos; Ericaceae