Every Thanksgiving and Christmas feast MUST have cranberries. It’s almost a law. But if you are only enjoying this tart berry once or twice a year you are missing out. This tiny berry is a flavour dynamo that packs a powerful health punch.
I make smoothies every morning for my family and include various fruits, protein powder, nuts, chia seeds and often, cranberries. And as a salad addict who is always looking for new ingredients, I find that adding dried unsweetened cranberries gives a lovely pop of jewel-like colour to my creations.
This mighty berry delivers impressive amounts of Vitamin C, beta carotene and flavonoids. Rich in antioxidants and plant compounds which aid in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, cranberries have another impressive secret power: they can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Indigenous peoples have been using this amazing berry for thousands of years as a food source, for its medicinal properties and as a dye. They have used it in pemmican, for baking, as a natural preservative, in the treatment of fevers and stomach cramps, and to prevent scurvy.
Nature’s rubies
There is only one remaining commercial cranberry producing farm in Ontario. Bala is home to Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh/Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery, run by the Johnston family for three generations and open 363 days of the year. Visitors can tour the cranberry farm, take trail hikes, experience the Johnstons’ winery, and see first-hand the hard work that goes into harvesting cranberries.
The harvest starts in late September and is usually finished by October 31st. It happens once a year, and the farm’s 27 acres yield around 300,000 to 400,000 lbs of cranberries.
Early in the harvest season cranberries are dry harvested. Later, workers flood the bog, and a tractor combs through the vines to knock the berries loose. The berries float to the top to make a picture-perfect crimson lake. A floating boom brings the berries together, and then they are put in bins for cleaning and processing, eventually finding their way to Ontario tables.
Cranberry crawl
Best known juiced or as a holiday condiment, cranberries bring tastebuds to life in a host of other delights, from muffins to meat glazes. Our creative local restaurateurs use cranberries in various ways to satisfy tart cravings:
- Montana’s BBQ & Bar (Burlington, Oakville, Milton): Apple Pecan Harvest Salad
- Turtle Jack’s (Burlington): Blackened Chicken and Goat Cheese salad
- Rose Garden Restaurant (Burlington): Turkey and Cranberry Sandwich
- Loondocks Restaurant (Burlington): Turkey Avocado Sandwich with Cranberry Aioli
Cranberries are also delicious in liquid form, prized for their deep red hue and lip-smacking flavour. Here’s a sampling of local cocktails:
- Pepperwood Bistro (Burlington): Classic Cranberry Margarita
- Symposium Cafe Restaurant (Milton, Oakville): Purple Haze Martini
- Pur & Simple (Oakville, Burlington): No-Gria Mocktail, Very Berry Smoothie
- Martini House (Burlington): Fuzzy Peach, Royal Treatment, T-Bar, Red Stiletto, Malibu Barbie, Cover Girl, White Lotus, Gold Digger.
And you can never go wrong in ordering a classic Cosmopolitan, as it features cranberry juice to give the classy drink its trademark pastel pink colour.
Full-bodied taste, full-body plunge
At harvest time, visitors to Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh can take wagon tours, hike over 10 kilometres of trails, taste cranberry wine, ciders and spritzers, and experience the famous and Insta worthy Cranberry Plunge! It’s an experience not to be missed, according to Lesley Commandant, Customer Relations Manager, Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery.
“We flood the bog and about 35 people at a time put on chest waders and take the plunge,” Commandant says. “There’s lots of space and everyone gets their Instagram moment and can take photos and throw the cranberries around and fall in.” The plunge is available from September 26 to the end of October. And as Bala is known as the Cranberry Capital of Ontario, if you plan to visit, you can also check out Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery and the Bala Cranberry Festival.
Local Links:
Bala Cranberry Festival
October 16 to 18, 2026
www.Balacranberryfestival.on.ca
Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh/Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery
1074 Cranberry Road, Bala
705-762-3203
www.cranberry.ca
By Cyndi Ingle
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