our heritage
History of Cranberries
The history of the cranberry dates back hundreds of years.
Native Americans mixed deer meat and mashed cranberries to make pemmican - a survival cake that kept for long periods of time. They also believed in the medicinal qualities of cranberries, with Medicine men valuing the cranberry as an ingredient in poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds. The rich red juice of the cranberry also served as a natural dye for rugs, blankets and clothing. And amongst the Delaware Indians in New Jersey the cranberry was even revered as a symbol of peace.
Cranberries are one of only three fruits native to North America (Blueberries and Concord grapes are the other two).They have been known by many different names. Eastern Indians called them "sassamanesh" while the Cape Cod Pequots and the South Jersey Leni-Lenape tribes named them “ibimi” or bitter berry and the Algonquins of Wisconsin called the fruit "atoqua".
But it wasn't until German and Dutch settlers came up with the term "crane berry", because the cranberry blossom resembles the head and bill of a crane, that we arrive at what we know today as the cranberry.
Legend has it that the Pilgrims served cranberries at the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, along with wild turkey and succotash. During the days of the clipper ships and long whaling voyages, they were used by American sailors to ward off scurvy. In World War II, American troops required about one million pounds of dehydrated cranberries a year.