Cranberries grow in acidic bogs throughout the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere and are most intensively farmed in the USA and Canada. Some sources claim the name comes from "'craneberry' because before the flower expands, it resembles a crane, others that they are a favourite food of cranes! They are low, creeping shrubs to 10 cm tall (often less), with slender, wiry stems, not thickly woody, and small evergreen leaves. The flowers are dark pink, with very distinct reflexed petals. The fruit is unpalatably sharp in its raw state and is heavily sweetened before being sold as juice or sauce. Cranberries are recognised as having numerous health benefits, particularly in the prevention of UTIs.
Cranberry nutritional information
| Nutrient | Amount/100g | RDA of nutrient |
| Water | 87 g | |
| Energy | 15kcal | 2500kcal (men) |
| 2000kcal (women) | ||
| Protein | 0.4 g | |
| Fat | 0.1 g | |
| Carbohydrate | 3.4 g | |
| Glucose | 2.2 g | |
| Fructose | 1.2 g | |
| Fibre | 3 g | |
| Folate (Folic Acid) | 2 micrograms |
200 micrograms |
| Vitamin C | 13 milligrams | 60 milligrams |
| Vitamin E | - | 4 milligrams (men) |
| 3 milligrams (women) | ||
| Potassium | 95 milligrams | 3500 milligrams |
| Iron | 0.7 milligrams | 8.7 milligrams (men) |
| 14.8 milligrams (women) |
Nutritional information from The Composition of Foods (5th
Edition); Holland, Unwin, Buss
Recommended Daily Amount as recommended by the Foods Standards
Agency (UK)