April 27, 2005

Pass the Cranberries, Please

There’s now more reason to enjoy this tart-tasting fruit. According to the Cranberry Institute, researchers have discovered that drinking three glasses of cranberry juice a day substantially raises levels of ‘good cholesterol’ in the blood and increases antioxidant levels, reducing the risk of heart disease. Besides these benefits, earlier studies have shown that cranberries help prevent urinary tract infection and may help reduce the risk of stomach ulcers, gum disease and cancer.

Cranberries are grown in five major states, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. The berry is a perennial crop that grows on a low-lying vine. Cranberry beds are harvested in the fall by flooding the cranberry bogs. The bright red berries then float together and are corralled with booms and are pumped or pushed onto waiting trucks.

When Dutch and German settlers arrived in America they claimed when the plant’s vines bloomed in late spring, the flower’s light pink petals twisted and resembled the head and bill of a crane. They called them Crane Berry and over the years the name simply became cranberry.

At AIMS we don’t just insure the cranberry grower we also enjoy the fruit and the benefits derived from the plant. In North America, the cranberry is only one of three major fruits native to the area, the other two being the Concord grape and the blueberry. And yes, we insure those as well.