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Cranberry is a wild, healthy berry that grows in northern latitudes. Contains a huge amount of nutrients and beneficial substances that help strengthen the immune system and fight various types of infections. Everyone who goes for this storehouse of vitamins should know how and where cranberries grow.
General information and varieties
All cranberries belong to the Heather family and are related to blueberries, blueberries and lingonberries. There are 4 varieties of cranberries that grow in the wild:
- Common cranberry. The shrub is an evergreen and grows in the northern and temperate latitudes of the Eurasian continent. The plant is creeping, shoots up to 80 cm long. The leaves are ovate and up to 100 mm long. Blooms in May-June. Ripens in September. The diameter of the berries is 16 mm.
- Small-fruited. The shoots of this shrub spread up to 30 cm. The plant is listed in the Red Book of many regions. Fruits with a diameter of up to 8 mm.
- Large-fruited. Distributed mainly in Canada and the USA. The fruits of this berry reach 25 mm in diameter. Large varieties of cultivated cranberries are developed on its basis.
Nowadays the berries are collected not only by hand, but also by a special combine.This allows you to harvest nutritious and healthy berries on an industrial scale.
There is also a hybrid bred in the USA for cultural breeding. For a long time, humanity could not tame wild berries, since cranberries are very capricious to the environmental conditions in the places where they grow and require increased soil fertility. The domestic cranberry variety appeared only at the end of the 19th century. Compared to wild ones, it grows easier under human supervision and has fewer requirements for soil and moisture.
At the same time, wild berries try to grow in places located far from human habitation. Therefore, berry lovers can walk more than one kilometer before stumbling upon thickets of a useful product.
Properly collected and prepared cranberries serve as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and also strengthen the immune system. It can be used to treat colds, including in pregnant women and children. The berry also has limitations; in particular, it should not be eaten in large quantities by people with stomach ulcers and other problems with the gastrointestinal mucosa.
How cranberries grow
Cranberries are bog berries and grow in peat and sphagnum bogs. In Russia, the berry grows exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as in damp coniferous forests and wet lowlands. They are also attracted to berries and peat deposits. In our country, it is impossible to find cranberries only in the southern regions, with a minimum number of winter months and dry soil. In Russia, it is found in Kamchatka, Karelia, Sakhalin and Siberia. Everywhere in those regions that belong to the tundra and forest-tundra, as well as in taiga wet, coniferous forests, where swamps and wet lowlands are often found.
It is noteworthy that in different territories the berry has its own names. For example, in the Pskov region of Russia it is called stonefly, and Ukrainians call it crane fly. In Belarus this berry is called crane.
The comparison of cranberry with a crane is not accidental - the berry is located on a long stalk, which resembles the thin and long neck of a crane.
It is interesting that cranberries most often grow in places where people have not spoiled the environment and have not developed vigorous economic activity. This is a kind of indicator that the nature around is pure, and much has been preserved in its original form. The main conditions for the growth of this berry are a sufficient amount of moisture and fertile soil.
What does a cranberry look like?
Cranberry is a small evergreen shrub. The shoots of the bush are thin and spread widely around. At the same time, they can take root with special adventitious roots of a very small size.
The leaves of the bush are small, with short stalks and ovoid in shape. The leaves are slightly pointed at the top, and their edges are intact and slightly curved downwards.
On the upper side, the leaves have a dark green color and a shiny surface. The color below is greyish.
The flowers are drooping, small in size, located on long stalks. The flowers are white, often with a pink tint. Cranberries bloom in late spring and early summer. Only 3 months after the start of flowering can the crop be harvested. The uniqueness of this berry is that it can be picked either unripe or already wintered in the spring, after the snow has melted. True, in the spring there are much fewer vitamins and nutrients in cranberries.
The fruits are basically spherical, sometimes small ovoid berries. When the fruits are formed, they are white in color and then turn red.The color is bright, glossy, and the dimensions reach 13 mm in diameter.
In order to increase the yield, cranberries are grown on special plantations on an industrial scale. There the harvest is 20–30 times greater.
When are cranberries harvested?
The berry has several harvest dates. It all depends on the preferences and taste of consumers:
- Summer. The berry at this moment is not yet fully ripe. The sides of the berry are reddish or pink. Such fruits can ripen on the windowsill, but they have an order of magnitude less useful substances and have a bitter taste. Such berries are usually collected for long-term transportation.
- Autumn. The cranberries at this moment are brown in color and have the highest degree of ripeness. The high content of pectin in these berries allows them to be preserved efficiently and stored for a long time in the form of preparations for the winter. Autumn cranberries are also important for winemakers because special microorganisms form on their skins that promote fermentation processes.
- Spring. An overwintered berry accumulates a large amount of sugar, and therefore the taste of spring cranberries is not so sour. But there is practically no vitamin C in this berry. However, it is poorly transported and cannot be stored.
When do cranberries ripen in Russia?
The ripening of useful raw materials depends on the region. The first harvest ripens in early September, and in the central regions of Russia - by mid-September. If you collect cranberries at this time and sort them out, then whole berries can easily be filled with cold water and left in a cool place for storage until next year.
The second period for collecting wild raw materials is November, with the onset of frost. And until the moment of the first snow. In some regions, cranberries are valued after frost because they become sweeter.
The third collection period is early spring, immediately after the snow melts. But during this period you should collect it very carefully, since it wrinkles easily and is difficult to transport. And you need to know the places where cranberries can be found, and where they have not yet been collected.
How cranberries grow in a swamp
Everyone knows that wild northern berries grow in swamps. Therefore, you need to pick cranberries with great care. Cranberry thickets spread like a carpet across the swamp, only slightly rising above the ground.
It is optimal to use a special comb, wooden or metal, when collecting. This makes it easier to find the berry, since it is hidden under the leaves and is not always visible to the naked eye.
Conclusion
All lovers of “quiet hunting” know how and where cranberries grow. These are northern taiga forests, where swamps and high soil moisture are common. In these places there is always a clearing where bushes with bright red beads spread like a carpet. It is important that when picking berries you need to carefully prepare and be careful, since cranberries love swampy places with a lot of bogs where they can get stuck. But the collection period is very extensive: from the beginning of September until the snow cover is completely covered.In some regions, the harvest is also harvested in the spring. But experienced experts say that the most delicious and healthy berry is after the first frost.
