Bouncing Berry Alerts!

Bouncing Berry Alerts, that is, information and fun facts about cranberries.

Did you know that cranberries have small pockets of air inside that cause them to bounce?  Drop one on your kitchen floor and watch your cat pounce to play with it!  These pockets of air are also why cranberries float on water.

Cranberries were first called bearberries because bears like to eat them.  Later they were called crane berries because when the vine flowers blossom, they look like the head and beak of a crane.  After awhile, the name was shortened to cranberries.  And, of course, they are also called the bouncing berries or bitter berries.

Cranberries have lots of fiber, vitamin C, and other substances that make them a healthy food.  They are thought to help protect us from urinary tract infections, as well as cancer and heart disease.

Cranberry juice contains a chemical that blocks pathogens that cause tooth decay.

White cranberry juice is made from regular cranberries that are harvested before they turn red.

Honeybees are sometimes used to pollinate cranberry crops.

One 12-oz bag of cranberries has three cups of whole berries in it.

Cranberries can be kept in the refrigerator for one month, and in the freezer for nine months.

Cranberries are native to North Aerica.  Other native fruits are concord grapes and blueberries.

Native Americans pounded cranberries into a paste and mixed it with venison.  This was called pemmican.  They used cranberries as dye for blankets and also for medical treatment of arrow wounds.

Frozen cranberries can be used in recipes without thawing.

It is easier to chop or grind cranberries while they are still frozen.

There are about 200 cranberries in every can of sauce.

There are about 440 cranberries in one pound, and about 4,400 in a gallon of juice.