Every year around this time, I like to spend a little quality time hanging out in swamps and bogs. While many might think of them as damp, muddy, nasty sorts of places, I rather enjoy them. There are a number of different plants that grow in these sorts of places. The type of thing you don’t always see elsewhere. But the reason I am usually there this time of year would be the cranberries.
I will admit, I have not always been a fan of picking cranberries. As a small human, I did not fully appreciate hanging out in swamps and bogs, although I have come to enjoy them more over the years. But at the time, losing your boot in a mud hole didn’t seem like a whole lot of fun. And if you are hanging around a swamp, there are still small black flies that would like to bite you, even in the fall. Then there’s always the, “What did I just step in? It doesn’t really look like mud.”
But things have changed a bit. I’ve learned to look carefully before stepping into muddy spots. Those bugs don’t really bother you all that much. And the answer to that question would come down to the fact that bears also enjoy cranberries and there was one through this area fairly recently. So that would explain what’s stuck to the bottom of my boot.
Thankfully, swamps and bogs don’t provide a lot of cover for bears, so it’s easy to see it one is hanging around at that very moment. There are a lot of other little creatures that also enjoy cranberries, but they will tend to avoid you. And if you get a nice day, wondering around a swamp can be quite relaxing.
And there’s the cranberries. Yes, I could go buy cranberries. They will probably be riper and already cleaned, so a lot less work in preparing them, but there’s just something about spending time in the bog that I enjoy.
In spite of the fact we haven’t yet had a good frost, which I always was told you needed to help the berries ripen, the berries do seem to be getting to the point of picking. I guess no one told the berries they need to be cold to get ripe and they are just going ahead and doing it anyway. So the time is coming close.
So it’s time to get picking. Just be careful where you step.
