Getting knee-deep into a cranberry bog with waders on has long been my New England bucket list. Did you know cranberries are native to New England, like their cousin, the blueberry? Without New England, the world would not know the tart-sweetness of this red fruit. (England has a relative, but not quite our cranberry.) From a visit to a Cape Cod Festival years back, my family found the recipe for our holiday favorite, Cranberry P’Cake. There are other cranberry bog tours in New England, but we loved our family-run tour with Stone Bridge Farms in Acushnet, Massachusetts. It was the coolest thing my family experienced this fall– agreed on by the youngest of us to the senior members.
Facts About Cranberries
Cranberries are grown on low-lying vines in clay and sand-lined bogs. Bogs are sort of like valleys and were created by glaciers long ago. These bogs are a unique ecosystem for not only cranberries but also unique life, and there are many around New England. You can read more about them here.
How to Book a Cranberry Farm Tour
Unfortunately, the farm we visited has stopped offering this tour. I haven’t been, but other independent farms, Red Meadow Farm
and Hartley Family Farms offer similar tours.
What You Will Learn on a Cranberry Tour
The farm owners gave us a tour, which made it all the better.
Our tour started with a history of cranberry farming in New England and a view of some of the current and antique tools.
Then, we learned about the difference between dry and wet cranberry harvesting. In October, the farm has a dry bog and a wet blog. It is pretty interesting to compare the two.
I had no idea that all cranberries weren’t picked in flooded bogs! In dry harvesting, the berries are picked, using various methods, from intact, above-ground plants. Dry harvesting is used to obtain cranberries to use as fruit—pretty cranberries.
It makes sense to learn that wet harvests are quicker. The bog is flooded during a wet harvest, and all the berries are reined in and collected. But the fruit isn’t pretty as it has gone through a lot, so these berries are used for things like juicing.
The Highlight of Our Cranberry Tour
The part we all came for was donning waders and climbing into the bog for a perfect picture opportunity. It was everything we hoped for, and my ten-year-old son did not want to get out.
I was concerned about what shoes to wear as I didn’t want to ruin them getting into the bog. I shouldn’t have worried. You take your shoes off, and the waders cover your clothing. The bog feels cold through the plastic waders, but you come out as clean as you went in. The owner was happy to take pictures for us.
In reality, the whole tour was even better than we hoped. I came with two tweens, myself, and three seniors. Everyone was educated and entertained. Be sure to add this experience to your New England fall bucket list.
Read on for more fabulous ideas for things to do in New England in the fall.
Have you been to a cranberry bog? Which one? Please tell me about it in the comments.
Hi Jamie. I really enjoyed reading your post! I think visiting a cranberry bog is a very unique experience that I would love to try if I am ever in the New England area. When do you think is the best time of year to try this?
Best,
Anthony
They are offered in the fall.