This will help the plants to get a good start in spring. Once the growing season begins in spring, remove any damaged stems. You can expect to harvest cranberries in September to October, and it is a good idea to cover cranberry bushes with netting to prevent birds from eating all your fruit!
Fresh cranberries can be stored for over a month in the fridge in an airtight container, or they can be frozen or dried to be used whenever you want.
Back to A-Z Growing Guides. Your email address will not be published. Cranberry bush Pilgrim — supplied in pot. Low growing evergreen with leathery leaves and a lax, cascading habit, ideal for containers or hanging baskets.
The flowers are followed by clusters of plump berries, starting out green before turning yellow and then bright scarlet by autumn. Becoming more visible and creating a dazzling display once the leaves have dropped, these are attractive to birds and small mammals that you will need to fend off if you intend to harvest the fruit.
If you decide to sacrifice the fruit, they are a great way of bringing a greater diversity of wildlife to your garden. Cranberries should be harvested in the autumn when the fruit takes on its distinctive deep red colour, usually in September through to early November. Cranberries start out green before turning yellow, then bright scarlet.
Check that the inner seeds are brown by breaking one cranberry in two before you start picking and bear in mind that berries deeper into the plant won't be as red a those on the top and edges because they don't get as much sunshine - they are still worth picking as they're equally as edible and still very tasty.
Cranberries are best picked before the first hard frost. If you want to wait to get more colour in the fruit and you fear there is a risk of a frost, cover the bed with plastic or a blanket during the night.
Using this method, you can actually pick them straight off the plant on Christmas eve, just in time for the turkey, if you prefer. Crops increase as bushes become more established and mature, so don't worry if fruiting looks a little thin in the early years. Cranberry are widely hailed as a 'super fruit' due to their nutritional content and antioxidant qualities. They are edible, albeit sharp and sour, when eaten fresh but more commonly used for a range of culinary uses, including in the making of sauces, jams, preserves, juices and even baking, where they combine well with orange or orange-zest in muffins, scones, cakes and breads.
Cranberry sauce is of course most well known for being an indispensable part of traditional American Thanksgiving menus and English Christmas dinners, as well as other European winter festivals. Cranberries can also be dried to eat as a convenient 'anytime' snack and they keep for up to 9 months if frozen.
Frozen fruits are suitable for using directly in recipes without thawing. Cholesterol and fat-free, the fruits are one of the healthiest sources of vitamin C, containing antioxidants that improve the skin and phytochemicals which reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and other degenerative diseases. Finally, they can be used to add a decorative twist to wreaths, swags, bouquets or other home decor.
Cranberries have a wide range of culinary uses. Cranberries are acid-loving plants best grown in full sun or dappled shade in a moist, but not saturated, lime-free, humus-rich soil. Whilst a number of commercial growers will allow cranberry plants to be covered by cm " of water after fruiting, this is to facilitate an automatic method of harvesting, not because it represents ideal growing conditions.
Moist, damp conditions favor the outbreak of fungal infections, which is why it is very important that your soil is well draining.
Unless the outbreak is extensive, you can usually treat either of these infections by trimming off affected plant tissue and dispose of the debris in the trash, not your compost pile , and irrigating in the morning, so the foliage has a chance to dry out over the course of the day, to avoid a build up of humidity. Rose bloom is a fungal infection caused by Exobasidium vaccinii , which attacks new shoot growth, causing the branches to thicken and enlarge, producing light pink leaves that look a bit like small roses.
Apply according to package instructions. You can learn more about the safe application of chemicals in our guide. Commercial cranberry growers have two methods of harvest, depending on what the fruit will be used for: wet harvesting and dry harvesting. Wet harvesting methods are typically used for fruit that are destined to be made into juices, sauces, or as ingredients in processed foods.
Dry methods are used for those that are going to be sold fresh, for cooking and baking. This is typically between the beginning of September to the end of November, depending on the variety you are growing. You can also try the bounce test — cranberries have pockets of air in them, which means they are springy.
Unripe cranberries will not continue to ripen after they are picked from the plant. If you can bear to wait, a light frost or two will generally sweeten the berries.
Harvesting is a simple process: Pick the berries gently by hand, and throw away any which are damaged, bruised, or very soft. You can learn more about how to harvest cranberries in our guide. Always wash cranberries thoroughly before taking any steps to preserve them.
The fresh fruits will last three to four weeks in the refrigerator. You can freeze your crop straight after harvest. To do this, spread them out on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for a few hours, then transfer to zip top bags or your container of choice.
Dried cranberries are one of my favorite additions to morning muesli and winter oatmeal. Before you throw them in the dehydrator, you can choose to sweeten them. To sweeten them, place them in a pot and pour boiling water over the top, let them sit for a minute, and then drain and wrap them in paper towels to dry off.
Then, make a simple syrup of one part sugar to two parts water, and add this to a bowl along with the blanched fruit. Let it sit for five to ten minutes, or longer if you prefer. Drain off the simple syrup, pat the fruit dry with a paper towel, and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet in the oven, on its lowest setting, for hours, checking regularly.
You can also use a dehydrator. This is my favorite accompaniment to a Christmas turkey, but I also enjoy them with a pork roast. Check out the recipe, with step-by-step instructions, on our sister site, Foodal. Or for an interesting twist on the traditional cranberry sauce, head to Foodal for the recipe.
This recipe is also from Foodal. And if you need some inspiration for a healthy side dish, have a gander at this butternut squash and cranberry quinoa recipe, over at Foodal. There are so many delicious ways to use these healthy, nutritious berries. And as long as you can fulfill those three conditions to keep them happy — chill hours, acidic soil, and plenty of water — you could soon have your own cranberry plants, with berries ready for harvest in time for next Thanksgiving.
Have you tried growing your own cranberries? If not, why? Let us know in the comments section below. And for more information about growing fruit in your garden, check out these handy growing guides next:.
See our TOS for more details. Revised and expanded from an original draft by Alexa Ward. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. A writer from London, Clare retired from the high-octane world of professional financial futures trading to live a peaceful life in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand — and to pursue her love of words. I'm the fourth generation of fruit growers in my family and one of the highlights of the holidays was coming to the farm with my grandfather.
I suppose that's what kindled my interest. But Mockbeggar had been fruit land for many generations even before my great-grandfather took it on, and it's very good ground; slightly south facing, just on the Hoo Peninsula between the Medway and the Thames. It often means the climate here is a little bit milder. This cake recipe is great for served warm with ice cream for pudding or at tea time or even mid-morning.
Mix all the cake ingredients together to make a batter, by hand or with a beater. Butter generously. Scatter the cranberries on top of the cake batter. Mix to create a coarse breadcrumb-like texture.
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