VACCINIUM MACROCARPON
MEMBERS of the heath family, cranberries grow in the northerly latitudes, in Alaska and Canada, Scandinavia and Russia, and can also be found as far south as North Carolina. I remember gathering them in the woods of Alaska. In all my years tramping through woods and seeking out wonderful wild foods, I never found such a bounty of berries as in Alaska.
The cranberries we’re used to, which appear in stores in November in plastic bags, are the American or Large cranberry, botanically named Vaccinium macrocarpon. They are the cranberries of commerce, and grow on low bushes across the northern tier of states from the mid-Atlantic west to Oregon. They grow especially well in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They don’t necessarily need to grow in boggy, water filled marshes—although they will survive there, too. In fact, they make a vital and interesting part of an evergreen fall home landscape while they produce their fall harvest of berries.
THE ORGANIC FACTOR
Commercial cranberry production goes heavy on the pesticides and on the environment. One of the largest peat bogs in North America—Burns Bog outside Vancouver, British Columbia—is being taken over for conventional cranberry production, displacing the flora and fauna that thrive there. As with many other agricultural products, conventional cranberries have environmental costs that don’t show up in the price. But today there are many sources of organic cranberries, sold fresh, as juice, as dried cranberries, and even as canned cranberry relish.
NUTRITION
Cranberries contain good stores of antioxidants, vitamin C (2 ounces—a generous handful—contain the minimum daily requirement), and healthful acids. Especially useful, cranberry acids can increase the acidity of one’s urine, which can help relieve urinary tract infections as well as certain kidney stones.
TYPES
The cranberry’s genus name, Vaccinium, derives from the Latin word for cow, vacca, because, it is said, cows will go out of their way to graze upon these plants. One of theircommon names is cowberry. In addition to the American cranberry, there are two other common species. In northern Europe, Canada, and Alaska, a smaller cranberry species called Vaccinium oxycoccus goes by cranberry or, in Scandinavia, lingonberry (see below). Lingonberries have a slightly more acidic taste than American cranberry. However, some Scandinavian fanciers of these fruits reserve the name lingonberry for Vaccinium vitis-idaea, a related species.
All three types of Vaccinium contain large amounts of benzoic acid, a natural preservative that allows the berries to winter over in plain water without disintegrating due to bacterial action. The benzoic acid also allows the berries to preserve other foods they are mixed with. The Native Americans often made their pemmican—a mixture of meat, grains, and fruit pounded together and dried—with plenty of American cranberries for this reason.
LINGONBERRY
The Swedes are nuts for their lingonberries. In New York City, chef Mar-cus Samuelsson has made a fine reputation for himself spinning twists on classic Scandinavian cuisine at the restaurant Aquavit, where he often uses both lingonberries and cranberries. Known as the red gold of the Scandinavian forest, the garnet-colored lingonberry that ripens each September is considered indispensable to Scandinavian cooking. Lingonberries are the standard accompaniment to Swedish meatballs, as a garnish or sauce for game dishes, pancakes, and they are often used in Swedish desserts. They’re used to make sauces, preserves, candies, jams, syrups, ice creams, wine, liqueurs, and a leaf extract often used to quell stomach disorders. These berries play such a vital role in Swedish cuisine that the right of common law states that all Swedish citizens have access to private land to pick as many wild berries as they wish.
SEASONALITY
Fall is the prime season for fresh cranberries. ....read more
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