cranberries (a lot)...

October 15, 2008 4:14 PM

Some friends and I want to get a bushel (more or less) of fresh cranberries to use fresh in some meals and preserve (can and dry) the rest. Is this something that can be acquired locally (Pittsburgh, PA) or would we have to have them shipped in from another (more northern?) state. Any leads would be much appreciated as googling hasn't turned up much.
posted by buttercup to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

AMERICAN CRANBERRY COMPANY looks like they might be able to help. Most go to Ocean Spray and are sold in bags that contain two cups or so. New Jersey is top producer, IIRC.
posted by fixedgear at 4:52 PM on October 15, 2008

Walker Cranberry Company is in WI and looks like a deal at $24 for 8 lbs shipped (2007 price).
posted by fixedgear at 4:55 PM on October 15, 2008

Just FYI, freezing works well for preserving cranberries too...my parents run the family bog in Cape Cod, and save a bushel aside every year and send me a pound or two; about half of what they send me goes straight into the freezer and is still good (just made something with them).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:17 PM on October 15, 2008

Response by poster: I found a source, not as local as I would like but its not a major crop in the region. Thanks all.
posted by buttercup at 6:47 PM on October 15, 2008

I live in Kentucky (nowhere near a cranberry bog) and I buy several bags of fresh Ocean Spray-branded cranberries every fall from the neighborhood chain supermarket. Give your friendly produce manager a call.

Or am I missing something? Do you need organic certifications or something that Ocean Spray doesn't offer?
posted by acorncup at 9:41 PM on October 15, 2008

In my experience, fresh cranberries from a small producer are much better than Ocean Spray. For one thing, they come in varieties with different flavor profiles - some are sweeter, some are more tart. Also, the Ocean Spray bags have been sitting around for a while, and they do degrade over time (though they freeze pretty well).
posted by Caviar at 8:16 PM on October 17, 2008