| This is part 14 of
14 facts associated with THANKSGIVING presented this year on the 'DM.' This is an all
American holiday. Although the US and Canada celebrate the day on different dates, the
purpose is the same. |
Part 14The Traditional Main Dish?
— Cranberry:
Of all the major fruits, only three - the blueberry, the
Concord grape and the cranberry can trace their native roots to North American soil. Of
these fruits the cranberry is probably the most versitile. Legend has it that Pilgrims may
have served cranberries at the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth. The American cranberry
(Vaccinium macrocarpon) is found wild in the greater part of the northeastern United
States. The cranberry gets its name from Dutch and German settlers, who called it
"crane berry". When the vines bloom in late spring and the flowers' light-pink
petals twist back, they resemble the head and bill of a crane. Over time, the name was
shortened to cranberry.
The cranberry helped sustain Americans for hundreds of years. Native Americans, called the
cranberry sassamanash, or ibimi, or aloqua (depending on their tribe: Leni-Lenape,
Alongquin, Pequot). They made cakes prepared with lean, dried strips of meat (usually
deer) pounded into paste and mixed with animal fat, grains and cranberries. This high
protein cake was called Pemmican. The cakes had an excellent keeping quality and were
utilized during long journeys. They also used sassamanash as a medicine to treat arrow
wounds and as a dye for rugs and blankets. In the 1620's the Pilgrims learned to use
cranberries from the Native Americans. The Pilgrims then used the cranberry as food and
for making dyes and poultices. The first record of cranberry juice made by the settlers is
dated in 1683. The cranberry soon became a vital source of vitamin C for whalers and a
valuable resource to New England residents. The cranberry became so important to the
Pilgrims that they even made laws to protect the valuable berry.
In 1816, Captain Henry Hall of Dennis, Massachusetts, (a veteran of the Revolutionary War)
noticed that sand blowing gently over his bog and settling on cranberry vines improved
their production. He repeated this gentle act of nature on the cranberries in his bogs by
transplanting his cranberry vines, fencing them in, and spreading sand on them himself.
Widespread cultivation of the cranberry began soon after. By the 1820's cultivated
cranberries were shipped to Europe for sale.
Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. Instead, they grow on vines
in impermeable beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. Although it may take three
to five years for a new cranberry bed to produce a large enough crop for harvest, the
vines will continue to produce a crop for 150 or more years. Cranberries are cultivated in
North America in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and in the Pacific Northwest. They
are also harvested from wild stands in these areas. In harvesting the cranberries, the
bogs are flooded and the mature red berries then float in the water, thus lending
themselves to harvesting by machine. The harvesting begins in early September and
continues until late October. More than 110,000 metric tons are produced in the United
States annually. For the last five years Wisconsin has led the world in cranberry
production. Most cranberry products are consumed in the United States and Canada. In
regions where they are grown, cranberries are a popular pie filling; their juice is widely
marketed as a beverage; and in sauce and relish form, cranberries are traditionally
associated with American and Canadian Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
|
Cranberry Facts:
American recipes containing cranberries date from the early 18th century.
In early times, cranberries were shipped to market in wooden barrels, transported by
train. Each barrel weighed 100 pounds. Although many years have passed since cranberries
were shipped in barrels, this unit of weight remains the industry standard.
During World War II, American troops used about 1 million pounds of cranberries a year.
Give or take a couple, there are approximately 450 cranberries in a pound, 4,500
cranberries in a gallon of juice and 45,000 cranberries in a 100 pound barrel..
|
