This was the day we went to the Cranberry Harvest Festival to pick up my award for my Cranberry Crunch Cookies.
A flooded bog and a barn. To do a wet harvest, growers flood their bogs and then use machines that look like small paddle boats to knock the submerged berries off the vines. The berries float to the the surface, where they are corralled and then pumped out of the bog and into waiting trucks.
Here are some typical sites you'd see driving around Carver: bog after bog after bog and signs for Ocean Spray-affiliated cranberry growers.
When we got to the Cranberry Harvest Festival, we took a school bus shuttle from the parking lot, through the woods, around the bogs, and to the festival grounds. I got to take only a couple pictures before my camera died...for good. (Argh!!!) Here's a pic of Mumma with a flooded, berry-rich bog in the background and a pic of some berries floating in a bog. Unfortunately, these were the only pics I was able to snap at the festival itself. If you'd like to see how a wet harvest works, check out this video of a cranberry harvest in Nantucket. It's not Carver, but you get the idea.
Wow, that berry-rich bog behind your mom is incredible; what a great photo! I had no idea about bogs until I read your post, yay learnt something new today, thanks! BTW I'm enjoying your Carver posts!
Posted by: stripeydots | October 13, 2008 at 10:13 PM
This is fascinating! Love these great pics. Looks like you guys had a fabulous weekend.
Posted by: Lorraine | October 14, 2008 at 09:08 AM
Hi, Amelia. THANKS! I kind of took my hometown for granted when I was a kid. :-)
Posted by: Oatmeal Cookie Guy | October 14, 2008 at 04:56 PM
Hi, Lorraine. Thanks! We had a great time.
Posted by: Oatmeal Cookie Guy | October 14, 2008 at 04:57 PM