9 Things We Love About Cranberries & 5 Reasons to Eat More of Them!

1. They’re native to North America. American Indians mixed cranberries with honey or maple syrup to make a sauce, which some accounts suggest was served at the first Thanksgiving. No word if it was jellied or whole berries.

2. They’re fresh right now. Cranberries are at their peak from mid-October through early November.

3. Cranberries are high in Vitamin C. A cup of fresh cranberries has 18 percent of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C, and just 46 calories. Also? They’re packed with fiber.

4. They grow best in sandy soil, preferably in bogs. This was something a farmer on Cape Cod noticed in the 1840s. When they’re ripe, farmers flood the bogs and the berries float to the surface of the water. Then they’re scooped up.

5. They are a true superfood. Cranberries are a significant source of five different phytonutrients that provide health benefits ranging from protection from certain forms of cancer to improved cardiovascular health to anti-inflammatory benefits to immune support and digestive tract benefits.

6. You are most likely to accrue those benefits if you eat your cranberries raw.

7. They fight UTIs. And, of course, cranberries have long been known to fight urinary tract infections. The berries’ acidity has been shown to shut down such infections.

8. They’re easy to buy. Choose fresh, plump cranberries, deep red in color, and firm to the touch.

9. Red is best. The darker red the berries are, the denser the concentration of super nutrients.