ORGANIC HEADQUARTERS®
FOR THE LOVE OF ORGANICS:
CRANBERRIES
By Charity Isely
They each made it with a twist: one with pineapple, the other added
vanilla, and sometimes a dash of bourbon. Cranberry sauce, grandma’s
special recipe—it was a tradition to be enjoyed once or twice a year,
with the whole family gathered around the table. The deliciously
unique flavor of each version is evocative of the woman herself, a
memory that lives on with every subsequent rendering of the recipe.
It’s effortlessly nostalgic—the cranberry, a yearly reminder of holiday seasons past
and present, but what impact does its journey to the festivities have on the planet?
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
FROM THE CRANBERRY BOG
In Wisconsin and Massachusetts, the top two cranberry-producing states,
thousands of red berries float in flooded beds waiting for harvest in the fall. The
whimsical imagery invites many a road trip along Wisconsin's "Cranberry Highway"
or to Cape Cod. However, this unusual harvest technique, using water to separate
the berries from their vines, also raises the question of synthetic pesticide and
fertilizer pollution in local waterways. Although a conclusive answer is hard to find,
this much is true: farmers must release the water used in the cranberry harvest
back into the environment. And several studies over the past decade indicate that
it may carry a significant load of toxic agricultural chemicals with it.
A 2014 VICE News article cites a Wisconsin study finding that pesticide
concentrations downstream from cranberry marshes were enough to cause
“total mortality in two species of test organisms,” which has alarming real-world
implications. In 2018, the Buzzards Bay Coalition in Massachusetts, citing data from
the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, reported that cranberry bogs were responsible
for an estimated 20 and 30 percent of nitrogen pollution in two of this cranberrygrowing region’s rivers. An earlier report noted that where the density of bogs is
highest, they could be accountable for up to 50 percent of nitrogen pollution,
contributing to oxygen-deprived water where aquatic organisms cannot live.
NO BEES = NO CRANBERRIES!
Without bees to pollinate cranberries, every treasured family recipe featuring them
vanishes. The fruit depends on the insect for survival, and although honeybees are
an indispensable part of the equation, native bees like bumblebees are the most
efficient cranberry pollinators. Yet, according to USDA tests, 56 percent of
conventional cranberries had residue of the fungicide chlorothalonil, and studies
show it may pose a severe threat to bumblebees. Researchers from the University
of Wisconsin and subsequently Cornell University
found evidence that chlorothalonil exposure
has a range of negative impacts on native
bumblebees. These include the “potential to
severely impact their success in foraging,” and
“being a strong predictor of pathogen prevalence
in declining bumblebee species.” Meanwhile, as
of May 2020, the European Union has banned
chlorothalonil because of the DNA damaging
potential of its breakdown chemicals and its
adverse consequences to wildlife.
A NUTRITIONAL GIFT
Cranberries are one of the richest sources of
polyphenols, a group of plant compounds with
potent antioxidant properties, and they’re also
a good source of vitamin C. Choose organic to
maximize nutritional benefits. A 2014 metaanalysis, published in the British Journal of
Nutrition, analyzing data from more than 300
studies on the subject, found that organic crops
outdo conventional in antioxidant content by 20
to 40 percent! So here’s to organic, to old and
new traditions, and the memories that give them
meaning, and to serving the season’s brightest
berry with a twist. Happy Holidays!
Want to try one of these special family cranberry sauces for yourself?
Hop over to naturalgrocers.com/recipe/margarets-awesome-cranberry-sauce
to find the recipe for Margaret Isely’s beloved family recipe.
4 | Health Hotline®
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