A Cranberry Bog

Cranberries are the final fruit of the season.  We try to get out to pick some in November before the snow arrives.





Cranberries grow on sphagnum bogs, often called quaking or kettle bogs.  The bog is actually  a thick mat of sphagnum moss floating over water. It is like walking on a sponge, and you can feel it  bounce under you when someone else walks near.  You also need rubber boots.

Typical bog plants include leatherleaf  and cotton grass.



Bogs are often surrounded by pines and spruces,
trees that grow well in acidic soils.

This was the first time that I have picked cranberries wearing short sleeves.  It was an unseasonably warm November day, over 70 degrees.  Normally we have to wear warm clothes; some years we have picked cranberries from a thin layer of snow.

We picked almost five quarts.  These will become delicious cranberry sauce.

Obviously we could get our cranberries from the store for much less effort, but the experience of picking berries at this time of year in such a beautiful place is priceless.

Purple is one of the dominant colors of a bog.

Reindeer moss.

Life is beautiful.

Life is good.  Get outside and enjoy it.