Wisconsin harvests more than 60 percent of this country's cranberries. Knowing that fact, it's no wonder the cranberry is their official state fruit. Originally called "crane berries" by settlers, those little red berries are grown across 20 counties in Wisconsin thanks to their sandy soil. October 1st, I had the opportunity - along with a few friends - to visit Wetherby Cranberry Co. in Warrens, WI to learn more about how cranberries are grown, tour the land and even wade in the marshes.
Our road trip started nice and early to drive about 4 hours to Warrens for this tour. Proudly, I can say we were the most excited group at the bog. Let me enlighten you on some of the things we learned about while on the tour. Cranberries are a perennial plant that grow on vines. Once ready for harvest, the bogs are filled with water to make harvesting easier. Some of the berries will naturally pop off the vines, but they drive a machine through the marshes to shake the rest of the berries free. There are four air pockets inside these tart berries and that's how they float to the top of the water. Then they just let the wind blow all the berries to one side to make harvesting even easier.
Want to learn more about cranberries or interested in taking a tour? Visit one of the marshes in Wisconsin. Most the tours happen in the harvest season (from September through October). Take a look at this link to learn about the different farms and dates you can visit: http://www.wiscran.org/experience/cranberry-marsh-tours/.
Live big.
