There are two methods used to harvest cranberries. Dry harvest and wet harvest.
Wet harvest
The wet harvest method involves the flooding of the cranberry bog with over a foot of water.
When the bog is flooded the cranberries float to the surface. This is why many people think cranberries grow in water. Cranberries grow on low lying vines and the berries are filled with little air pockets which cause them to float to the water’s surface.
The flooded bogs are quite impressive and beautiful, which is why they make for great pictures. The ground vines that cranberries grown from during the rest of the year get a lot less love, if any, on instagram. Sampling bias anyone?
Have you ever seen these guys on TV? They’re standing in a “flooded bog” that’s ready for wet harvest.
After the bog is flooded the cranberry growers churn the water with a machine to loosen the berries from the vine. After the berries are loose they are swept from the water’s surface and loaded into trucks and shipped off to become delicious cranberry juice and other products.
Dry harvest
The dry harvest method by comparison is well, dry. The growers use a machine that stripes the berries from the vine. After the machine combs the cranberry from the vine it deposits the fruit into a storage sack at the rear of the machine.
The dry harvest method is used for all the fresh cranberries sold in stores. Not a fan of eating fresh cranberries? Do you like DIY decoration for the holiday season? Grab some popcorn, fresh cranberries, a needle, and some sewing thread to make yourself a festive garland.