Visit a cranberry bog at harvest

A cranberry bog tour is one of the most photogenic things you can do in autumn, and it takes half a day. At harvest, growers flood the bogs, the berries float up, and the water turns into a sheet of red. You do not need to know anything about farming to enjoy it.

How cranberries are harvested

A cranberry bog tour usually starts with how the berries grow. Cranberries grow on low, trailing vines in beds called bogs. These are made from sand, peat and clay, and they are not underwater for most of the year. At harvest time, there are two methods:

• Wet harvest. The bog is flooded with water, and a machine stirs the vines so the berries come loose. Cranberries contain air pockets, so they float to the surface. The floating berries are corralled together and pumped or lifted out. Most cranberries grown for juice and sauce are harvested this way.
• Dry harvest. The berries are picked from dry vines with a machine, and kept intact for sale as fresh fruit in shops.

The red sheet of floating berries you see in photos is a wet harvest.

Where and when to go

This is mostly a northern crop. In North America, the main growing areas are Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Quebec and British Columbia, and some other places grow cranberries on a smaller scale. Harvest usually runs from late September through October, and into early November in some areas. Dates depend on the weather, so check with the farm.

Most visits are by tour. Many growers run them in the harvest season, and they fill up on weekends, so book ahead. Some regions also hold harvest festivals. Do not walk onto a bog without an invitation: it is private farmland and work is happening.

What a tour is like

On a tour you can usually expect a guide who explains the process, a chance to see the machines and the floating berries, and sometimes a chance to wade in with waders if the farm offers them. Tours often end with a shop, where you can buy fresh cranberries, juice, jam and dried fruit.

Ask when you book what is included, what the cost is, and whether the harvest will be happening that day.

What to wear and bring beyond the list

You have boots (or waders if they lend them), a booked tour and a camera. Add:

• Warm layers. It is often cold and wet near the water.
• Waterproof boots, and a spare pair of socks in the car.
• A rain jacket.
• Cash or a card for the farm shop.
• A bag for the cranberries you buy.

Safety

The edge of a bog can be soft, wet and slippery, and the water can be cold and deeper than it looks. Follow your guide, stay where you are told, and do not wade in unless the farm provides waders and says it is fine. Keep children close. Take care on the dikes and paths, and keep clear of machinery.

What to do with fresh cranberries

Fresh cranberries are very tart, so they are usually cooked with sugar. Some simple ideas:

• Simmer them with sugar, a splash of water and orange zest for a quick sauce.
• Stir them into muffins, bread or a pumpkin bread.
• Toss them into an apple crisp for a tart pop of colour.
• Thread them with popcorn or onto string for a garland.
• Freeze them. Fresh cranberries keep well in the freezer, and you can cook them straight from frozen.

Wash them before you use them, and sort out any that are soft or shrivelled.

What goes wrong

• The harvest is not happening yet. Timing is the main risk. Ask the farm when you book.
• It rains. It is a wet sort of outing anyway. Dress for it.
• You wanted to float in the berries. Some farms offer this, but many do not. Do not assume.
• No farm near you. Not everywhere has one. If not, a market stall with fresh cranberries is a smaller version.

Make it a fall evening

Take photos from the edge in the late light, buy a bag of berries from the farm shop, and make a pot of sauce that night. If you have the time, finish with soup from the squash soup idea, with a spoon of cranberry sauce on top.