The
juice obtained out of cranberry, a fruit of evergreen shrubs, is said to be a
great enhancer to the human health. It is said to give relief from infections
occurring in the urinary tract, respiratory disorders, stones in kidney, cancer
and cardiac diseases. It also cures the
disorders of the stomach, controls blood sugar and is said to cure various gum
diseases occurring due to tooth infections. In other words we could say that
this is a complete package of medicines under the covering of a single berry;
the cranberry.
The
name of the berry is derived from the word ‘craneberry’, given to it by
European settlers in America, who obliged it by this title because they felt
that each part of this shrub resembles the shape of the crane bird. It is also
called mossberry or fenberry. This beery has its plantations centered in
American regions, especially Massachusetts and Canada. The British Columbian Fraser river valley is
said to produce about 95% of the total Canadian cultivation with an estimated
volume of 17 million kilograms approximately. Formerly cranberries were
cultivated in wetlands, but now they are done in upland areas of shallow water
tables.
Cranberries
grow in low creeping shrubs or vines that cover an area of 2 meters and a
height of 5 to 20 centimeters. They have thin stems and evergreen leaves. The
fruit, cranberry is initially white in color but turns deep red when ripe. The
fruit when ripe is edible, but could be a non-conventional consumable owing to
its acidic nature. Since the beginning of 21st century, raw
cranberries are said to be marketed as a super food due to the amount of
nutrients and antioxidants it is said to contain.
Cranberries
are said to exist in three categories. They are:
- Vaccinium oxycoccos: It is a common cranberry, spread entirely over the temperate areas of northern hemisphere including Northern areas of Asia, Europe and America. The flowers of this species are dark pink in color and the berry shows a pale pink tint with a refreshing sharp and acidic flavor.
- Vaccinium microcarpum: It is grown in Northern regions of America, Asia and Europe. It only differs from Vaccinium oxycoccos in the structure of its leaves which are more triangular.
- Vaccinium macrocarpon: It is limited to the north of Northern America and Canadian regions as far as its cultivation is concerned. Its berries tastes more or less like an apple and the leaves are about 10 to 20 mm in length.
These
cranberries are harvested from the plants when they are mature enough and take
a distinct deep red color, usually in the months of September and November. The
berries are generally wet picked by flooding the area with water, about 6 to 8
inches deep. The fruits after being harvested are to be marketed fresh;
therefore they are stored in shallow boxes that have holes in the bottom. These
are then made available in the worldwide markets and are ready for the process
of extraction of cranberry juice.