Wild cranberries anyone?

[Maddog66]

Have you seen them before? I have in northern Wi a few times, but this year seemed like a bumper crop. These pics were taken over Christmas this year. They tasted very sweet with just a hint of actual cranberry flavor.

 

[ruskbucks]

I have never seen them and have hunted all over Wisconsin. One of my friends did say he found them walking in a bog around Black river falls. It would be cool to find some. I heard the deer like them.

 

[Maddog66]

There wasn’t any snow so it was tough to tell for sure, but it seemed liked the deer were using them based on tracks.

Its in an area that we sometimes call a cat spruce (ie black spruce) swamp.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I like dried cranberries. I am not sure they would be a viable crop in my backyard.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Nice find, Maddog66. Nothing quite like nature's makings.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I have a bunch of them growing wild on my Rusk County place. They are in a tamarack/black spruce swamp.

Mine are pretty tart and taste just like a regular cranberry. I wonder if they sweeten up eventually if they go through several freezing/thawing cycles.

 

[Angus 1895]

It was a bumper choke cherries by my house this year

 

[Maddog66]

I was thinking the same thing Ben. The other times I’ve seen them have been during deer gun or ML seasons in late November. Never this late before. Crazy year.

But the time or 2 I stopped to eat them earlier in the season, even covered in a few inches of snow, they were also sweet.

Now that I have a good close spot to check this coming summer and fall, I’ll see how they taste and report back.

It was hard to see in the pics, but it seemed like the further into the light green moss I dug, the bigger the berries. I was thinking that maybe they could hang in that stuff all winter without even freezing? I don’t know.

It’s interesting, I googled ‘wild cranberries’ the other night and got very little info back. …..all commercial grower sites.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

It was a bumper choke cherries by my house this year

Glad to hear that, Angus!! We planted 12 choke cherry trees last spring at camp for more soft mast variety. Hoping they get going and produce for us.

 

[R.E. Gould]

Nice, my son and I did a taste test of large cranberries and small cranberries, and preferred the flavor of the small:

Vaccinium macrocarpon (large cranberry): Go Botany

gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org

Vaccinium oxycoccos (small cranberry): Go Botany

gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org

 

[SD51555]

Anyone ever made the mistake of tasting a highbush cranberry? That'll turn you inside out.

 

[ruskbucks]

Anyone ever made the mistake of tasting a highbush cranberry? That'll turn you inside out.

I heard they are good for making jams.

 

[H20fwler]

Thats what I have a bunch of^^^^^^ The deer and birds sure love it though.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Anyone ever made the mistake of tasting a highbush cranberry? That'll turn you inside out.

I think highbush cranberries (actually an edible viburnum berry) are put to use with sugar - like in jams, jellies, pies and wine. Off the bush, I think they're very tart. Still edible though, & high in vitamins. We have highbush cranberry bushes at camp - haven't tried any though.

I'd like to try a real bog cranberry - none around my location.