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 doesn’t expect 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 and used a weed whacker to clear out the tall grasses, she spotted some beautiful, deep red berries poking out from beneath the stalks.

Overall, cranberry growers in Maine had a good season, said Charles Armstrong, a cranberry expert at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension who helps farms with pest control. By his calculations, the state’s 20 farms harvested about 500,000 pounds of berries, which equates to about $850,000 for growers. Now producers have to cope with the high demand that comes with the holiday season.

This year, Thayer has only picked about 500 pounds of cranberries, compared to 7,200 pounds in his first year of operation. But buyers are still demanding more, she said.

“I have nothing left to sell,” she said.

Tracyn Thayer inspects some pre-harvested 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 her first alone. It hasn’t been an easy year as she struggled with a divorce, difficult weather and maintenance work around the moor. She still works full-time in accounting at Apex Group. But Thayer and her mother spent about two weeks sorting the berries and filling about 30 boxes 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, dry-picks her crop using a mechanical harvester that looks like a lawnmower with a rake attached. The harvest begins at the beginning of October.

While many people associate cranberry farms with flooded bogs like those seen in Ocean Spray commercials, Armstrong said dry picking extends shelf life. Flooding the berries is the easiest and fastest way to harvest, but the moisture causes the berries to spoil more quickly. That’s why it’s ideal for juice products, he said.

Typically, Maine cranberries cost about $1.75 per pound, a huge difference from the 20 cents per pound that flooded plants charge. Organic crops could easily cost $5 a pound, he said.

Thayer’s organic cranberries are certified by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. People who buy directly from the farm pay $7 per pound, $7.50 if they need the berries packaged. She charges $6 per pound wholesale and recommends grocers sell for about $8.95 to $9.95 per pound.

Tracyn Thayer at Birch Bog Farm, where she grows organic cranberries. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald

Karen Sparrow, who owns Sparrow Farm in Pittston, said she doesn’t know exactly how many pounds she harvested, but her 3-acre bog is 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 when the state wanted to expand the cranberry industry in the early 1990s. The sandy soil of the bogs helps plants reproduce for years. In winter the moors are flooded to protect the vines of the plants.

Since her husband’s death, Sparrow said she and her team of eight have worked harder to keep up with demand and last-minute requests for cranberries.

The farm delivers the cranberries and eggs to customers on a regular route that extends as far south as Kittery. She has gotten to know her customers over the years and charges $7 per pound, or $7.50 per pound if packaged in plastic trays.

Ryan Ference, produce manager for Portland Food Co-op, said he had to make an “emergency run” to stock more cranberries from Sparrow’s because it was so busy. The store was already selling about 50 pounds a week before the holiday rush began.

A YEAR OF RECOVERY

He said the store is fortunate to have good relationships with local farms and farmers like Sparrow.

“Everyone had a really tough year last year,” he said. “The harvest suffered. So this year has been a pretty phenomenal recovery year for all businesses.”

The co-op also carries cranberries from Ricker Hill Orchards, which Armstrong said is one of the state’s largest growers at 10 acres. The largest producer is Mingo’s Products in Calais with an area of ​​17 hectares.

Last week, Armstrong purchased several packages of Ricker Hill cranberries in Hannaford and couldn’t find a single rotten berry. That’s a testament to the high quality of this year’s crop across the state, he said.

“The color is really great,” he said. “A beautiful deep red color that Maine is kind of famous for. Colder temperatures prevail until harvest time. The cold nights cause this deep, red color to form.”

Cranberries at Tracyn Thayer’s Birch Bog Farm in Albany Township display the deep red color that Maine cranberries are known for, due to cold pre-harvest temperatures beginning in October. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald

The berries that are a staple on the Thanksgiving table can last even longer when frozen. Sparrow recommends adding them to granola or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

COMPLETELY BAKED

Atsuko Fujimoto, a renowned baker who owns Norimoto Bakery in the Deering Center in Portland, said she buys all local fruit for her pastries, including Maine-grown cranberries from local supermarkets and a wholesaler called Native Maine Produce.

She often eats Ricker Hill cranberries. The fruit is reliable and not that difficult to find compared to other fruits like blueberries, she said.

Currently on Norimoto’s menu are a buckle — a classic New England dessert — and a cranberry pudding tart, which Fujimoto makes every Thanksgiving and which customers say is a favorite. She makes about 100 of each dessert per week, including about 1,200 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 she 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 in the tarts. Leftover cranberry sauce tastes great with ice cream, she said. But she personally said she loved the tart taste of the berry.

“I can’t think of any other berries that last this long in the fridge. It’s such a sturdy berry,” she said. “I think it’s the easiest berry to work with.”

Copy the story link