One of only a few native North American fruits, the cranberry was an important staple long before the Pilgrims arrived. Native Americans, who referred to cranberries as sassamanash, made cakes prepared with lean, dried strips of meat pounded into paste and mixed with animal fat, grains and cranberries. Referred to as Pemmican, these cakes had an excellent keeping quality and were utilized during long journeys. Later used to make dyes and poultices by the Pilgrims, cranberries soon become a vital source of vitamin C for whalers and a valuable resource to New England residents.

In 1816, Captain Henry Hall of Dennis (a veteran of the Revolutionary War)
noticed that sand blowing gently over his bog and settling on cranberry vines improved their production. This simple act of nature imitated by Captain Hall and generations of cranberry growers has strengthened an industry that celebrates its bounty at harvest. Today, more than 14,400 acres of cranberry bogs nestled among the villages and towns of southeastern Massachusetts are harvested each fall.

Cranberries grow wildly from the Carolinas to the maritime provinces of Canada, but prefer areas that have sandy soil, an abundant fresh water supply, and a growing season that lasts from April to November. Suited for these conditions, southeastern Massachusetts embraces its most famous indigenous fruit.

Cranberry bogs utilize a unique growing system that includes wetlands, uplands, ditches, flumes, ponds and other water bodies. With more than 61,000 acres of open space, growers maintain four acres of supporting land for every acre of cranberry bog. 

In winter, bogs are covered with water that freezes and provides insulation from frost. As the winter snow melts and spring arrives, the bogs are drained and cranberry vines are awakened by gentle rains and warmer days. Soon after spring, light pink blossoms which resemble the head and neck of the sandhill crane begin to appear. As flowers bloom, honeybees and bumblebees work diligently to pollinate flowers, ensuring a good crop. In mid-July, petals fall from the flowers leaving tiny green nodes which after weeks of summer sun, become red, ripe cranberries.

Considered the life blood of cranberries, water is used throughout the year for irrigation and to protect vines from weather damage in winter and frost in spring and fall. As fall approaches, water becomes essential to the harvesting process. During harvest, many growers flood their bogs causing cranberries, which have small air pockets in the center, to rise. Growers then use water-reel harvesting machines to loosen cranberries from their vine causing them to float on top of the water. These machines look like miniature combines with cylindrical spool-shaped metal beaters attached to the front. After floating to the top, berries are corralled onto conveyers to waiting trucks which take them to receiving stations and eventually processing plants where they are used for juice, sauce, and other
processed foods.

About 10 percent of the cranberries grown in Massachusetts are dry harvested and sold as fresh fruit. To dry harvest, growers use lawn mower-shaped mechanical pickers with comb-shaped conveyer belts that pick the berries and carry them to attached burlap bags. These bags are emptied into bins and delivered to fresh fruit receiving stations where they are graded and screened based on their color and ability to bounce (soft berries will not bounce).