Cranberry

berries · plants · tart fruit

Tiny vines, big berries. Cranberry plants are short creeping vines that hug the ground, growing only 5 to 20 centimeters tall but stretching up to 2 meters long. The berries they produce are actually bigger than the plant's own leaves.

Evergreen survivors. Cranberry plants keep their small leaves all year round, even in cold winters, which helps them survive in harsh growing conditions. Their stems are slender and not very woody, making them flexible and hardy.

Pink flowers first. Before the berries appear, cranberry plants produce dark pink flowers. As the berries develop, they start out light green and gradually turn bright red when they are ready to eat.

Sour and special. Cranberries have a tangy, acidic taste that makes them perfect for sauces, juices, and baked goods rather than eating raw. This sourness is one of the things that makes them unique among berries.