10 Juicy Fun Facts About Cranberries: Discover Their Surprising Benefits and Fascinating History

1. Thanksgiving Fruity Fiesta

Known primarily for their ability to turn Thanksgiving into a saucy, fruity fiesta while striking fear into the hearts of bacteria everywhere, behold the humble cranberry: Native to North America, this unassuming berry has come a long way – from medicinal applications in the hands of Native Americans to conquering kitchens and palates globally in forms of tantalizing sauces, muffins, and juices!
Source => cubicmagazine.com

2. Swipe Right for Tart Gems

If cranberries were contestants on a reality dating show, they'd be the ones fighting it out for the title of "Most Bitter Ex": they're either sour or bitter, depending on your taste bud's vote. However, don't let that scare you off from swiping right: these tart little gems are perfectly edible raw or cooked, and tend to mingle better when sweetened in your favorite dish.
Source => cooking.stackexchange.com

Did you know that the world's largest pumpkin pie weighed 3,699 pounds and measured 20 feet in diameter? It used a whopping 1,212 pounds of canned pumpkin and over 500 pounds of sugar! Discover more about this record-breaking dessert and its origins.

=> Fun Facts about Pumpkin-Pie

3. Cranberry-aoke: UTI-Free

Who needs a doctor when you've got cranberry-aoke? You're just a berry away from being UTI-free: Cranberries contain a nifty little thing called proanthocyanidins, which help to keep 80-90 percent of UTI-causing bacteria at bay and maintain a healthy and happy urinary tract.
Source => nutraceuticalsworld.com

4. Cranberry Fashion Statement

Contrary to popular belief, cranberries weren't just "bobbing for compliments" on early Thanksgiving dinner tables: They actually got their name from the Pilgrims who called them "craneberry" due to the uncanny resemblance of the pink blossoms to a Sandhill Crane's head and bill during spring, and Native Americans ingeniously used them as a colorful dye for rugs, blankets, and clothing, debunking the myth that these tart little gems served as fancy toilet bowl deodorizers in the 19th century.
Source => cranberries.org

5. Massachusetts' Bog-illion Dollar Crop

When life gives you cranberries, Massachusetts makes a bog-illion dollars: In 1996, Massachusetts single-handedly produced 35% of the world's cranberries, with a whopping product value of $117 million, solidifying its status as the reigning cranberry champion.
Source => buzzardsbay.org

6. Hide-and-Seek with Native Americans

Before cranberries were caught "cranberry-handed" stowing away on the Mayflower to crash the first Thanksgiving, they were playing hide-and-seek with the Native Americans: The original inhabitants of America not only ate these tart little treats, but also used them as a natural dye. However, it wasn't until about half a century later that the bashful berries were finally sweet-talked into mingling with sugar to jazz up meats and become a staple side dish.
Source => history.com

7. Divas of the Fruit World

Cranberries: the divas of the fruit world, insisting on only the finest of conditions for their backstage growing areas and throwing tantrums when they don't get their beauty sleep. The serious reveal: These fussy berries can grow only along the 39th parallel north, need acid peat soil, sand, and fresh water, and demand a long growing season from April to November, followed by a cold dormant period in winter. Massachusetts and Wisconsin are the paparazzi-swarmed celebrities of the cranberry world, producing over 90 percent of America's supply.
Source => mercurynews.com

8. Cosmic Cranberry Feast

Houston, we have a cranberry! When Apollo 8 astronauts needed a festive touch for their out-of-this-world Christmas dinner, they turned to none other than the humble cranberry: Enjoying thermo-stabilized turkey complete with gravy and cranberry sauce, our spacefaring heroes feasted on this cosmic cranberry creation without the need for re-hydration during their 1968 mission. Alas, no evidence suggests these tasty crimson orbs made it to the moon in 1969.
Source => airandspace.si.edu

9. Berry Godfather's Saucy Sensation

Praise be the "Berry Godfather" who took one "cran" and turned it into a saucy sensation – just imagine Thanksgiving without the triumphant thud of a jellied log escaping its metal prison: In 1912, Marcus L. Urann canned cranberries and transformed the industry, creating a year-round demand for the crop and leading to the formation of Ocean Spray, securing 5,062,500 gallons of jellied cranberry sauce's place at American holiday feasts, while fresh fruit comprises a mere five percent of the nation's entire cranberry harvest.
Source => smithsonianmag.com

10. Wisconsin's Cranberry Empire

If you've ever wondered why there's so much cranberry sauce at every Wisconsin Thanksgiving, we've got the juicy answer for you: Wisconsin is the leading cranberry producing state in the U.S, accounting for 59% of the total crop in 2021 -- that's a whopping 6.97 million barrels or nearly 697 million pounds, with 94.9% being processed and only 5% sold fresh. So next time you're spilling some cranberry juice in Wisconsin, remember it's practically their birthright!
Source => agmrc.org