Who can resist the flavour of cranberries? Their delicious, tart-sweet flavour is welcome in far more than the cranberry sauce that graces the Sunday or holiday roast poultry. They have enjoyed surges in popularity ever since European settlers in North America first named Vaccinium macrocarpon for its flower, which resembles the head of a crane. over time the name contracted from crane-berry to cranberry, but always the healthy attributes of cranberries have been known. The First nations peoples traditionally used the berries for food, in poultices for medical treatment, as as a dye in making blankets.

Cranberries are native to Canada. The first commercial growing of cranberries in Canada occurred in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, when Mr. William McNeil planted a small area with the fruit on his farm at Melvern Square in 1872.

While developing a commercial cranberry operation can easily cost as much as $40,000 per acre, you can grow cranberries in your garden, either to have a few pounds for food or as a decorative and effective groundcover. The key to success in growing cranberries, whether for food or ornamental purposes, is to create the conditions they prefer: a moist but well-drained substrate using sand and organic matter is essential, with a soil pH of between 4.0 and 5.5. The biggest difficulty for the backyard grower is finding the vines to plant; most nurseries don't yet stock them, and cranberries do not propagate from seed. Cuttings can be divided into smaller segments, pressed down into a prepared bed and kept moist with regular watering. Although they root quickly, it may take several years before fruit production resumes.

Pest control is not usually an issue in home gardening, other than to remove weeds. If your bed is provided with adequate moisture and nutrition, the plants should be able to resist the occasional predatory insect without substantial losses.

Frost control in a home garden is usually only a concern during bloom time, and just before harvesting, as a hard frost at 30š F will damage fruit. To protect against frost the plants may be covered with straw, evergreens or burlap. Cranberries thrive best where summers are a little cool, and are hardy to zone 3 with winter mulching for protection.

Cranberries are not only delicious, they are good for you. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, and storage of the fruit doesn¹t diminish the vitamin content right away: in fact, during the last century sailing ships regularly carried cranberries as part of their food supplies, as a counter against scurvy. The sweet-tart flavour of cranberries lends itself to both sweet and savoury dishes, and cranberries can be found in everything from soft drinks to cereals, to salsas to salad dressings. (Useless fact of the week--cranberry jello is the only kind that contains real fruit!) Cranberry juice has long been considered effective in preventing urinary tract infections, and research into this is continuing. The berries keep very well in the refrigerator, and can be frozen with no preparation other than packaging in bags or containers.