Cranberry sauce is one of the UK’s favourite Christmas condiments. Scroll down to find out how an interesting harvesting technique has revolutionised the sector.
Cranberries are grown in bogs, areas of soft marshy soil in countries such as the United States of America. Wet harvesting is the most commonly used method. The bog is flooded with water the night before harvest which covers the short vines. The growers use machines nicknamed ‘egg beaters’ to loosen cranberries from the vine. The berries buoyancy allows them to float to the surface of the water. The farmers then use rakes and long floating ‘booms’ to gather the fruit together. The cranberries are loaded into trucks and sent for cleaning, sorting and processing. Wet harvesting has revolutionised the efficiency of production. It allows large quantities to be harvested for products such as cranberry juice and sauce.