There is a cranberry bog in my town, on land that is owned by a friend of a friend. Jessica and I have picked it for 4 years, and normally we get enough to make a modest batch of Cranberry sauce, yielding about 12 pints total. We cherish this sauce, and it’s rarely shared…it won’t find it’s way to a food swap, for sure.
Last year, the bog was so dried out we didn’t have any, and I gave Jessica one of the pints, that I had hoarded from the year before. Well, I’m hear to tell you that for as bad as it was last year, it’s 100 fold better this year!!! We picked for an hour yesterday and a couple today, and our current haul is 31.5 pounds!! That is about 7-8 gallons of cranberries!! We are so excited, since we have barely made a dent in what is there. Our plan is to go back tomorrow, for more, and we’ve decided we are going to try a batch of cranberry wine, along with cranberry sauce, cranberry juice,dried cranberries,and cranberry mustard for the after Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches!!
The other difference between this year and last year, is the water. Last year it was dry. Normally it’s squishy to walk, but there isn’t water climbing the side of your boots. This year, however, the water to reach the cranberries is over the knee, and the water around the berries is about ankle deep. Many of the berries are floating on the surface, while many still remain on the water logged plants. The plants don’t mind one bit. It does make for cold wet picking, but we are Hardcore New England Foraging Yankees and up for the challenge!
Too perfect — Mother Nature provided you with the bog to help you harvest!