Are you wondering how white cranberries are grown and harvested? If so, then we are right here for you! In this article, we are going to discuss everything that you need to know about cranberries and how they’re grown.
The cranberries are not grown in the water for their whole life, you have to put them in water from time to time. Flooding is done three times in their whole life.
At the time of winter, fields are filled with water which adds a thick cover of ice on them. The ice cover protects the buds of the flowers against the winter winds and cold temperatures.
After that, in the spring, when the temperature is warm, the water is taken out and then the flower and fruits of the plant develop. Moreover, when the fruits turn red and mature, the fields are filled with water again.
Table of Contents
Step by Step Guide on How Cranberries Are Grown and Harvested:
So, here is a quick guide on how the cranberries are grown and harvested. It is as follows:
- The first and foremost step is the sowing of seeds. The seeds are sown and they are nurtured until they come at the harvesting stage.
- Then they make use of a machine to produce cranberries and to collect all the cranberries they use a contraption.
- After that, the field is filled with water and it’s possible that berries can get destroyed at this stage.
- Then they put all the cranberries in a sorting and cleaning facility. There all the cranberries are cleaned and sorted to check if they are not too small, too big, or too mushy.
- Then, if the berry is in a good condition then it can be taken to the cleaning station. They do this all to ensure that you don’t fall sick.
- To remove the dirt, all the cranberries are tossed in a half-filled bucket of water. After that, they apply the spray, and then collect all the berries and pack them. And finally, they are shipped off.
How Are The Cranberries Harvested?
The cranberries are harvested in two ways, dry harvest as well as wet harvest. When the field is filled with water, the cranberries are harvested when they are wet.
But some of the cranberries are harvested dry with the help of a mechanical picker, they are then sold as fresh fruit.
A huge egg mechanical beater mixes the water about removing the berries. The ripe berries are mixed and gathered to make juices, frozen, preserves and every other product including your cranberry sauce.
What Are White Cranberries?
White cranberries are just cranberries that come early in the season of harvest and they are ripe as well! Moreover, if you keep those white cranberries in the freezer, then they change their color to red. Also, if you cook them then they turn red.
The reason behind the turning of white cranberries to red is a red pigment called anthocyanin. The white cranberries turn red when they are frozen or cooked. Moreover, if you look at the cranberries bed, they all look red.
The red cranberries are grown in vines. But, if you’ll look at the surface, you will see white colored cranberries.
Sometimes, when you turn the cranberry then you’ll see white color on its underside. The reason behind this is, the sun draws it onto the skin.
Other than this, the cold temperature also brings the red pigment to its surface. Eventually, by the end of the season, the berries that have been hiding from the sun will also turn red because of frosty winter nights.
Another big reason for the light color of berries is their freshness. But as soon as you’ll pick them up, they’ll turn dark and even darker.
However, if you’ll keep a bag full of cranberries in the refrigerator for a week or two, then they’ll turn dark red when you’ll take them out.
Most often, the cranberries that you buy from the grocery stores were picked up weeks before! So, isn’t a great reason to visit the cranberry farm?
Moreover, there are around 150 commercial varieties of cranberries. The different varieties don’t differ much in taste, but they differ in size, ripening time, keeping quality, color, and winter hardiness.
What about a green cranberry? The green cranberries aren’t ready to eat, they don’t ripe. But the light, pink and white colored cranberries are ripe and they’re ready to eat as well.
How The White Cranberries Varied From Usual Cranberries?
Cranberry juice includes several nutrients like vitamins E, K, and C which your body requires. Along with a heavy origin of antioxidants, cranberry sap comprises calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, and along with that, it contains low saturated fat and cholesterol. Although white and red cranberry beverages offer related health purposes, white cranberry sap is prepared from the berries which are plucked a few weeks before while red cranberries didn’t get available for cultivating in North America until the last weeks of September into October.
White Cranberry
Weight and nutrition management expert of White Cranberry sap steps out that although white cranberry sap is less sour, it gives numerous similar health advantages as drinking that red cranberry sap. One discrepancy among that is that white cranberry sap does not contain ample anthocyanins which is a photochemical plant pigment through which the cranberries become red in color. Anthocyanin also functions as a strong antioxidant.
Antioxidants
Cranberries contain antioxidants which are nutrients in foods that can hamper oxidative harm to the torso’s tissues and cells. The phytochemicals that incite cranberries are a wide variety of antioxidants. These exact healthful phytochemicals are moreover found in red wine, purple grapes, tea, pomegranate, and soy. Antioxidants function to prohibit or improve this oxidative harm. Encompassing foods in the diet which comprise these biological chemicals endeavors against the consequences generated by free radicals shaped at the time of metabolism. The harm which the free radicals cause the body renders to heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes.
Other Healthful Benefits
The study suggests that ingredients in cranberry sap may kill toxic bacteria that induce stomach ulcers, and also, help to stave off or reduce the frequency of infections caused in the urinary tract, according to many established Clinics. Nonetheless, there isn’t any recent study indicating that cranberry sap is as beneficial at dealing with functional urinary tract complaints. Proanthocyanidin which is a known compound in the cranberries — may curb H. pylori disorder which is a bacteria normally ground in the stomach that additionally results in dental plaque. Liquoring up cranberry sap every day can boost increased degrees of Hydrochloric acid, or good cholesterol with that it also lowers the degrees of harmful or bad cholesterol-induced in the blood. The study is continuing on further health advantages of cranberry encompassing its impacts on viral infection and yeast disorders, certain cancers, and heart disease.
Concerned Cautions
If you consume cranberry sap regularly in reasonable proportions, specify sugar-free types or those with limited added sugar or sweetness. Because authentic cranberry sap senses relatively bitter, several juices have artificial or natural sweeteners put in. Cranberry sap lofty in sugar content lessens the volume of healthful advantages. Diabetics should curb consumption of cranberry sap or beverage juice that is not naturally sweetened. Cranberry also comprises high degrees of oxalate which is a chemical entity that donates to the building of the stones in the kidney. Moreover, cranberries can impede the anticoagulant drugs which thin up the blood that doctors specify to deal with heart disease.
Where Do Cranberries Harvest?
An Acidic peaty ground or soil for fruitful berries is required for cranberries marsh. These swamps are found from New Jersey to Massachusetts, Chile, Wisconsin, and Quebec, and largely in the Pacific Northwest area which encompasses Oregon, British Columbia, and Washington. Now the question arises in many minds that do cranberries cultivate underwater? It looks like cranberries underwater are vital for their development but just at specific levels. Cranberries don’t cultivate in standing water or underwater. They cultivate in these specially formed low lying swamps or bogs in acidic muds or soil identical to those expected by blueberries.
Are The Growing And Harvesting Different From The Growing And Harvesting Of Regular Cranberries?
There is not much difference in the growing and harvesting of white and red cranberries. White cranberries are harvested at the time when they turn dark red. Moreover, they can also be harvested when they are white. White cranberries are used mostly for making cranberry juice.
If we talk about the yield, then it is comparatively low on the beds that are harvested early. Whereas the early filling of water in the beds also damages the vines, not severely but yes, it provides damages!
Conclusion
So, here we’re at the end! We hope that you’re now aware of all the things that you wanted to know about white cranberries. We have explained the step by step process of cranberry sowing and cultivation. Hope you’re clear with it and if not, then feel free to ask us!
