Each fall, hundreds of acres of cranberries are harvested in Oregon. Many of the bogs are visible along Highway 101 and make for an interesting roadside stop. During the harvest season you may witness a farmer harvesting his berries with his "beater." The "beater" churns the water, which knocks the cranberries from the vines. Loosened cranberries float to the surface. Water harvest of this particular bog (just under 2 acres) takes about 4 1/2 hours.

After the harvester finishes, an elevator is set into place, and the cranberries are boomed in around it. The elevator used on this farm can load 1,000 pounds of cranberries in under 3 minutes.

Farmers haul an average of 6-8 totes (6-8 thousand pounds) per truckload. Some farmers use an additional trailer, which can double the number of totes per load.

Area cranberry growers grow for companies such as: Ocean Spray, Northland, Decas Cranberry Products and even Smucker's.

Initially, cranberries are dumped in a huge concrete bunker outside the plant. Water sprayers are used to move the cranberries toward an elevator that moves them into the building's cleaning machinery.

From the bunker, berries travel up an elevator and empty into the top (now inside the building) of the cleaning machinery, where they are washed and prepared for shipping. Clean berries are double checked before they move up a final elevator and spill into a giant funnel. Once the "funnel" is opened, (below left) it takes mere seconds to fill a 1,000-pound box. Filled boxes are carefully weighed and documented before they are sealed and moved into the shipping area

Once boxes are ready for shipping, they are loaded on trucks and shipped to their respective buyers. In just six to eight short weeks, harvest is over and growers prepare to begin anew.

Cape Blanco Cranberries is a local example of growing, harvesting and manufacturing a product.  To more about Cape Blanco Cranberries visit their website. Their amazing new product "Cranberry Fruit Trio" is a new and delicious twist on cranberry sauce. Serve it warmed with a dash each of cinnamon, ground cloves and ground ginger (to taste) and server over grilled chicken. A taste you just can't beat!

Special thanks to McKenzie Cranberries, Inc. (cleaning plant) and Paradise Cranberries (farm) for allowing www.PortOrfordOregon.com to photograph their operations.