What含羞草研究社檚 your favourite red berry? While some savour strawberries in June, and red raspberries are a summer delight, as the calendar turns to September, there含羞草研究社檚 no doubt the star of fall fields is the cranberry.
Cranberry farming reaches back as far as the 1940s in BC, with crops growing with the demand. Today, approximately 65 farmers are harvesting the tasty crop in British Columbia, mostly concentrated in the Lower Mainland area, with a few growers on Vancouver Island.
About 95 per cent of berries harvested in BC will find their way to Ocean Spray, a farmer-owned cooperative, where they含羞草研究社檒l be dried into sweet and delicious craisins, processed into juice or packaged for your grocery shelves to be used as a tart addition to muffins and scones, added to sweets or cooked into the perfect accompaniment to your holiday dinner!
Not only are cranberries a tasty addition to the kitchen, but ongoing studies continue to point to the berries含羞草研究社� powerful wellness-promoting phytochemicals that have been linked to prevention of certain infections and some age-related chronic diseases, for example.
含羞草研究社淎 lot of people enjoy using cranberries in their baking and for many people, craisins have replaced raisins as a favourite snack,含羞草研究社� says Jack DeWit, a longtime cranberry farmer and member of the
含羞草研究社淲hen I talk to the public and I say I grow cranberries, people often tell me how much they like the product.含羞草研究社�
A crop unlike any other
Cranberries are unique in a few ways. A successful season requires frost-free days before the early fall harvest, level land with appropriately acidic soil, and ample water for harvest, DeWit notes.
Why?
Unlike other berry crops, cranberries are harvested in water, with fields flooded and the cheery crimson berries beaten off the bush then gathered in booms.
This unique harvest is typically the focal point of the annual 含羞草研究社� scheduled to welcome some 60,000 people for its 25th anniversary this year, before COVID-19 put a damper on the celebrations.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a unique crop and people love to see how it含羞草研究社檚 grown and harvested. They含羞草研究社檒l come out to spend a day at the farm and take photos with the flooded fields, surrounded by the berries,含羞草研究社� DeWit says.
While this year含羞草研究社檚 festivities are on hold, one lucky winner of the will enjoy a private farm tour for up to four family members this fall. Watch your Black Press Media community news website for details starting Sept. 1, and check out the hashtag #CranCulinaryBC!
And while eagerly await next year含羞草研究社檚 25th annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival, you can enjoy BC cranberries any time of year! Visit for an array of delicious , family fun and a wealth of .
