Cranberries have a long and storied history on Nantucket beginning with the indigenous peoples of the region, who used the wild berry’s versatility as fabric dye, a healing agent, and food. Wider cultivation of cranberries began around 1816 after Captain Henry Hall, of Dennis, Massachusetts, noticed that the wild cranberries in his bogs grew better when sand blew over them. On Nantucket, cranberries have been commercially grown since 1857 and were an important part of the Island’s economy until just prior to World War II. The Nantucket Conservation Foundation took over the Island’s only remaining commercial cranberry bog in 1968 and continues running the Milestone Cranberry bog to this day.
After switching to dry harvesting cranberries a few years ago, NCF has dealt with some setbacks with each harvest, but this fall saw an incredibly successful cranberry yield! Since October 8th, our staff has been out each day in the bogs harvesting cranberries to sell locally. These genuine Nantucket cranberries can be found through many island vendors or bought directly from us at our office on 118 Cliff rd.
If you are looking for a nice afternoon walk, take a drive out to 220 Milestone to view these historic bogs and maybe catch a glimpse of our staff harvesting fresh cranberries. If you need more convincing, read this article in the Inquirer and Mirror from Neil Foley, NCF’s Interpretive Education Coordinator and Ecologist.
NCF is proud to keep this island tradition alive and support the multi-generation cranberry growers of the Larrabee family. Nick Larrabee, our Director of Land Management, oversees the bogs with the help of our Plant Propagation & Cranberry Bog Assistant, Jason Pearl. Under their oversight, expect to continue to see local cranberries for years to come.
