Cranberries

Cranberries are Native to North America, traditionally eaten raw and used in dried foods. They are perennial, but take about 5 years to produce the fruit.

Ontario cranberries are wet-picked. They grow on low-lying vines in the beds of bogs or marshes. Ontario has three cranberry bogs: the Johnston Cranberry Marsh near Bala, Iroquois Cranberry Growers on the Wahta Mohawk Territory, and Upper Canada Cranberries south of Ottawa. Flooding the cranberry vines allows easier harvesting and is a controlled method used by most northern cranberry farms.

Early settlers thought the cranberry blossom resembled the head of a crane, and called them “crane berries.”

  • Stevens
  • Pilgrims
  • 35’s
  • Ben Lear
  • Searles
  • Pilgrims

Nutrition

Cranberries are a good source of Vitamin C.

They are also relatively low in calories; 1 cup contains only 46 calories!

Selecting

Select firm, dry berries, with a clear colour.

Avoid packages with crushed berries.

Storing

Cranberries will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

You can freeze them: remove the stems, freeze in a single layer on a tray, then tightly pack in a freezer bag.

Preparing

Rinse the cranberries and remove stems before using.

Cranberries can be used to make jelly, jams, sauces, or relish. They have been candied, or used in baking as well.

Recipes

cranberries
Seasonal Availability
October

Nutrition per 60 mL sweetened cranberries (31 g), dried:

Nutrient Value
Calories 95
Carbohydrates 25 g
Total Sugar 20 g
Total Dietary Fibre 1.8 g
Calcium 3 mg
Iron 0.2 mg
Sodium 1 mg
Potassium 12 mg
Magnesium 2 mg

Provided by Health Canada