How are cranberries harvested and why?

In dry harvesting, growers use a mechanical picker that looks like a giant lawnmower. The picker combs the berries off the vine with moving metal teeth, and then a conveyor belt carries the berries to a receptacle at the back of the machine. These receptacles are either emptied into “bins” by hand, or they are removed from the bogs by helicopter. The fresh cranberries sold in the produce section of your supermarket are harvested primarily by the dry method. These cranberries are most often used for cooking and baking.

In wet harvesting, the grower floods the usually dry bog with up to eighteen inches of water. The next day, water reels, nicknamed “egg beaters”, are used to stir up water in the bogs. The cranberries are loosened from the vines and float to the surface of the water. They are corralled and loaded into trucks. The berries are then delivered to a central receiving station where they undergo a thorough sorting process. Cranberries harvested by wet method are used mostly for processed foods, juices, sauces and relishes.

The cranberry harvest dates back to America’s first settlers and is celebrated every autumn. The cranberry harvest starts mid-September and continues until a few weeks before Thanksgiving.