Cranberries!

Not everybody loves them, but they are a Thanksgiving tradition, jellied or stewed or otherwise.

Here’s some background.

1. They’re one of the few fruits native to America.
2. They don’t grow in water but the berries do float, which is how many of them are harvested, starting with a machine called an eggbeater.
3. They also bounce.
4. Only five percent are sold fresh. And eating one raw will be unpleasantly tart.
5. Americans consume 400 million pounds of cranberries a year – roughly a pound and a half per person – a fifth of that during Thanksgiving week. How do you measure up?
6. A gallon of juice requires 4,400 berries. Did we mention it’s a great antioxidant and high in Vitamin C?
7. The “Sex in the City” TV series in the 1990s boosted the popularity of the Cosmopolitan cocktail, which features cranberry juice and vodka. Well, there’s a classic version with gin instead. Cosmos are typically served in martini glasses, after all.
8. I’m quite fond of Craisins, the dried berry version that goes nicely in green salads and yoghurt, at the top of my list.
9. Seven out of every ten cranberries sold in the world today come from Ocean Spray, a farmer-owned cooperative with more than 700 grower-families.
10. Wisconsin is the leading producer in the U.S., followed by Massachusetts. A few are even grown here in Downeast Maine.