A Million Dollar Resource

A Million Dollar Resource. Pinelands National Reserve. Wild cranberry plants prefer low fields, meadows, bogs, and stream banks. Native Americans used the berries for food, medicinal purposes and dyes. In fact, they gave cranberries to the first European settlers as a sign of peace. Two centuries later, cranberry growers began cultivating the plants in the bogs of New Jersey’s Pinelands. By improving their hardiness and potential for commercial production, cranberry growers found a product that is enjoyed by nearly everybody. , Nearly all of New Jersey’s commercially grown cranberries are produced in the Pinelands. The ideal habitat for cranberry cultivation starts with moist, bog soil and a stable source of clean water. A layer of sand is then applied over the soil and irrigation ditches are dug to maintain the water level during dry season, as well as to drain excess water in unusually wet seasons., During the 1860-70s, New Jersey was the number one commercial grower of cranberries. Today the state ranks number three., Once thought infertile and undesirable, the bogs of the Pine Barrens are the foundation of one of New Jersey’s multi-million dollar industries., The cranberry plant was originally called the “crane-berry” because European settlers thought that its stems and flowers resembled the neck, head, and bill of a crane. , (Inscription under the photo in the center of the marker) , A network of dams, dikes, and ditches allow the farmer to control water levels., (Inscription under the photo on the right side of the marker) , New Jersey growers began using the “wet harvesting” method in the mid-1960’s. When the cranberries ripen in the fall, the bog is flooded. The buoyant cranberries make the vines float allowing workers, operating mechanical equipment called “beaters,” to knock the berries from their vines., (Inscription under the photo at the top right side of the marker) , As the bright red berries float to the surface, men with long broom guide them onto a conveyer that transports them into crates. The New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, the Pinelands Commission, and the National Park Service are working together to “enhance public understanding, awareness, and appreciation of natural and cultural resources” of the Pinelands National Reserve.