As if the world was not presently confusing enough. Here are 6 things you might not know about cranberries.
1.) They bounce
It’s true, as we’ve discussed — cranberries contain a tiny pouch of air. Because of this, when you drop one, you run the very real risk of it jumping back and bopping you one in the kisser.
2.) They don’t actually grow in water
We think of cranberries as just chilling in a flooded bog. The truth is the vines are only flushed with water when the fruit is ripe. Because they float, this makes them easier to harvest.
3.) It’s straight up American
There aren’t a lot of fruits native to North America. But the cranberry is one of them! Native Americans used to use it for all sorts of things, eating and otherwise! For one, it was a very popular dye.
4.) There are a lot of vines
If you took every cranberry vine in North America and ran them from Boston to L.A., you’d make that trip close to 600 times and presumably be very tired at the end of it.
5.) Maine holds the record
In 2009 Maine earned the title of the biggest cranberry harvest to date! That’s right — the crans keep on coming, so I hope you’re hungry.
6.) They help the environment
Because they require a very specific sort of growing environment, cranberry bogs actually provide wetlands for all sorts of endangered animals — one more reason to eat them up!
Original inspiration: Rebecca Stokes