What’s so great about Cranberries?

I’m pretty sure you’ll have cranberries on your Thanksgiving table this year. Cranberries are one of the foods that Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to eat, and they remain one of our traditional Thanksgiving foods. But did you know how great cranberries are?

Cranberries are red because they contain a pigment called anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are also found in grapes, pomegranates, raspberries, and strawberries. Anthocyanin is a natural pH indicators – it turns red in acidic solutions and green in alkaline solutions.

Anthocyanins are anti-inflammatory which means that they can prevent redness, swelling, and pain. They are also antimicrobial. That means they can kill bacteria living in the body and may also help prevent bacteria from growing in the body. Some scientists believe that anthocyanins are able to help prevent cancer and diabetes.

Cranberries are grown in bogs which contain acidic soil and enough water for the plants to grow properly. They grow close to the ground so it is difficult to pick them. In order to harvest the cranberries, the farmer floods the fields and uses machines to knock the cranberries off the plant. The cranberries float to the top of the water and that makes them easier to harvest.

Sixty percent of the United States’ cranberries are grown in Wisconsin. The remainder are grown in mostly Massachusetts but also New Jersey.

Cranberry Photo by Irita Antonevica from Pexels