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.

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.

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).

With more than 500 growers producing 38 percent of the nation's cranberry supply, cranberries are the number one food crop in Massachusetts. The cranberry industry provides more than 5,500 jobs and more than $200 million to the Massachusetts economy.

In addition to Massachusetts, the major growing areas for cranberries are New Jersey, Wisconsin, British Columbia, Quebec, Washington State and 0regon. Altogether the entire cranberry industry is supported by just 29,500 acres, of which 13,100 are in Massachusetts.