Visiting a Cranberry Bog: see all the work that goes into harvesting the berries.
Visiting a cranberry bog has been high on my bucket list for awhile now. I love visiting local farms and orchards, especially during the fall harvest. Did you know that Michigan grows cranberries?! I learn that Michigan grows cranberries a few years ago when I spotted them at the farmers market. There are a few farms throughout the state that harvest cranberries, including DeGrandChamp Farm's in South Haven, Michigan. Every year the farm invites the public out for harvest day.
When I checked the weather for harvest day, it wasn't looking so good. 100% rain was in the forecast with a chance of thunderstorms. As long as they were still having harvest day, I was going no matter the weather!
When we arrived, the rain was pretty steady. Luckily the thunder and lightening held off for us. We purchased our tickets and waited for the hay wagon to pick us up. Even with the rain, the wagon was full! After our short ride, we were given a short tour, explaining how cranberries are grown and harvested. It was fascinating learning about the cranberry harvest. There is so much work that goes into harvesting the berries.
Cranberries are grown in the ground on a vine of a perennial plant. To harvest the cranberries, the fields are flooded. The vines are then shaken with a tractor. After the cranberries have been loosen from the vines, they float in the water. The cranberries that were being harvest are used for OceanSpray cranberry juice and dried cranberries. The harvested cranberries are then transported to the processing plant.
Cranberries can also harvested using a dry harvest method. These dry harvest cranberries are sold as fresh berries. The cranberries sold in their market were harvest using the dry method. I picked up a 10 pound box of cranberries after the tour. I can't wait to create some fun cranberry recipes for you.
It was amazing to see all the work that is involved. If you ever get the chance to see a cranberry bog, I highly recommend checking it out! Check out the video of the cranberry harvest!
XO Jeni
Jen
This would be so much FUN! I have always wanted to visit after watching those cranberry juice commercials. 🙂
Jeni
It was a lot of fun! It was on my bucket list for a long time to see a cranberry bog. I was so excited to learn that there was one within an hour of where I live! 🙂
Sage
I love cranberries and have always been curious how this process works. Thanks for sharing and providing such awesome photos of it all!
Jeni
Thank you! It is such an amazing process. It is hard to believe all the work that goes into harvest cranberries!
Tonya
I've always wanted to watch a cranberry harvest. Very cool that you were able to experience this. I had no idea that cranberries were grown in Michigan.
Jeni
I had no idea either! There is also a farm up in Northern Michigan that also has a cranberry harvest day every October! It was a lot of fun! 🙂