6 days Ago
Tracyn Thayer walks through her cultivated organic cranberry vines at Birch Bog Farm in Albany Township on Nov. 23. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald Tracyn Thayer said she wasn’t expecting many cranberries this year, in part because winter flooding ruined her irrigation pond south of Bethel.
But when she went to her 2-acre farm, wielding a weed whacker to clean up the tall grasses, she discovered some beautiful, deep red berries peeking out below the blades. Overall, Maine cranberry growers had a good season, said Charles Armstrong, a cranberry expert at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension who assists farms in pest management. According to his calculations, the state’s 20 farms harvested approximately 500,000 pounds of berries, equating to about $850,000 for growers.
Now, growers have to navigate the intense demand that comes with the holiday season. This year, Thayer only picked about 500 pounds of cranberries, compared to 7,200 pounds from her first year in operation. But buyers are still asking for more, she said.
“I don’t have any more to sell,” she said. Tracyn Thayer inspects some pre-winnowed cranberries at Birch Bog Farm in Albany Township. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald This is her fourth season running Birch Bog Farm in Albany Township, but the first on her own.
It wasn’t an easy year, as she dealt with a divorce, difficult weather and maintenance around the bog. She still works a full-time job in accounting at Apex Group. But Thayer and her mother spent about two weeks sorting the berries and filled about 30 crates to sell, she said.
Thayer sold her berries to Good Food Store in Bethel, Fair Share Market in Norway and Goranson Farm in Norway. During a good season, she expands that list to include places like Rosemont Market, Royal River Natural Foods and food co-ops in Portland, and in New Hampshire in Littleton and Concord. Thayer, like many cranberry farmers in Maine, picks her crops dry, using a mechanical harvester that looks like a lawnmower with rakes attached.
Harvesting starts in the beginning of October. While many people associate cranberry farms with flooded bogs, like those seen in the Ocean Spray commercials, Armstrong said dry picking extends the shelf life. Flooding the berries is the easiest, quickest way to harvest, but the moisture makes the berries go bad sooner.
That’s why it’s ideal for juice products, he said. Typically, Maine cranberries cost about $1.75 per pound, a staggering difference from the 20-cents per pound price for flooded crops.
Organic crops can go for $5 per pound, easily, he said. Thayer’s organic cranberries are certified by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. People who buy direct from the farm will pay $7 per pound, $7.
50 if they need the berries packaged. She charges $6 per pound wholesale and she recommends that grocers sell around $8.95 to $9.
95 per pound. Tracyn Thayer at Birch Bog Farm, where she cultivates organic cranberries. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald Karen Sparrow, who owns Sparrow Farm in Pittston, said she’s not sure exactly how many pounds she harvested, but her 3 acres of bogs were full.
Armstrong said she must have had a bumper crop this year. While she and her husband started the farm in 1978, her husband built the three cranberry bogs during the state’s push to grow the cranberry industry in the early 1990s. The bogs’ sandy soil helps the plants reproduce for years.
In the winter, the bogs are flooded to protect the plants’ vines. Since her husband died, Sparrow said she and her team of eight have worked harder to keep up with the demand and last-minute requests for cranberries. The farm delivers the cranberries and eggs to customers on a regular route that stretches as far south as Kittery.
She met her customers over the years, and charges $7 per pound or $7.50 per pound when packaged in plastic clamshells. Portland Food Co-op produce manager Ryan Ference said he had to complete an “emergency run” to stock more of Sparrow’s cranberries because it’s been so busy.
The store has been selling about 50 pounds per week, even before the holiday rush started. A BOUNCE BACK YEAR He said the store is fortunate to have good relationships with the local farms and farmers like Sparrow. “Everybody had a really rough year last year,” he said.
“The crops suffered. So this year has been a pretty phenomenal bounce-back year for all the farms.” The co-op also stocks cranberries from Ricker Hill Orchards, which Armstrong said is one of the state’s largest growers with 10 acres.
The largest grower is Mingo’s Products in Calais, which has 17 acres. Last week, Armstrong bought several packages of Ricker Hill cranberries at Hannaford and couldn’t find a single rotten berry. That’s a testament to the high quality of this year’s harvest statewide, he said.
“The color is really great,” he said. “A nice deep red color, which Maine is kind of famous for. We have colder temperatures leading right up to harvest time.
The cold nights really cause that deep, red color to form.” Cranberries at Tracyn Thayer’s Birch Bog Farm in Albany Township show off the deep red color that Maine cranberries are known for, a result of the cold temperatures leading up to the harvest beginning in October. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald The berries, which are a staple on Thanksgiving dinner tables, can last even longer when frozen.
Sparrow recommends adding them to cereal or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. BAKED IN GOODNESS Atsuko Fujimoto, an acclaimed baker who owns Norimoto Bakery in Portland’s Deering Center, said she buys all local fruits for her pastries, including Maine-grown cranberries from local supermarkets and a wholesaler called Native Maine Produce. She often goes for Ricker Hill cranberries.
The fruit is reliable and isn’t as difficult to find compared to other fruits like blueberries, she said. Right now, Norimoto’s menu features a buckle – a classic New England dessert – and a cranberry custard tart, which Fujimoto makes every Thanksgiving and said is a customer favorite. She makes about 100 of each dessert per week, about 1,200 of each per season.
Tracyn Thayer with her dogs and chickens at Birch Bog Farm in Albany Township. She picked about 500 pounds of organic cranberries this year, but in the past has harvested over 7,000 pounds. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald Fujimoto said when the season changes, she likes to swap the buckle’s blueberry topping for cranberry.
She said the best way to bake with cranberry is to balance it with something sweeter, like the sweetened condensed milk she uses for the tarts. Leftover cranberry sauce tastes great over ice cream, she said. But personally, she said she loves the berry’s tart flavor.
“I can’t think of any other berries that last so long in the fridge. It’s such a stable berry,” she said. “I think it’s the easiest berry you can work with.
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