Cranberry Bogs and Gristmills

This gem of a day was back in October, but I'm just now getting around to posting it (being punctual is not my strong suit). Now that it is February in Massachusetts, I'm starting to long for those sunny, warm days, like everyone else about now (sans you southerners)... 

So we had set out on a drive, knowing it was cranberry harvesting season, to find some cranberry bogs to take some pictures of. Little did we know that this particular bog was going to be harvested right then and that we were welcomed to stay and watch. It's quite a feat to gather up all those juicy, tart cranberries to bring them to, where else but, Ocean Spray, right in South Carver, MA. 

There are two ways to harvest cranberries: 'dry' used for cooking and baking, and 'wet' used for juices and sauces. The field that we came across was being 'wet harvested' in which it is flooded with water and the cranberries float to the top (since they have a hollow space inside them). They are then corralled using wooden 'booms' forming a circle to trap them and are pumped into a truck to take them to the cleaning and packaging facility. It is really a fascinating form of harvesting that I honestly knew nothing about and always wondered when I saw the Ocean Spray commercials (filmed right there in South Carver!). Kinda like peanuts, I always wondered how they got peanuts....

After an hour or two watching the harvesting and eating our PB&J's we made our way over to Sudbury where Chris was determined to find a Gristmill that he had heard about. I had no idea what he was talking about but was awestruck when we found it, there in a field against a quiet stream, with it's beautiful red water wheel. It was like a scene out of an old story book... There was a path that led to a pond with the trees lit up in all colors and a peaceful swan just posing for our camera. It was enchanting to say the least. 

It was an awesome day watching cranberry harvesting and exploring an old gristmill...I wonder what that gristmill looks like in winter....challenge accepted, will post next summer. 

Cheers!