ARE DOING WITH
CRANBERRIES THAT WILL MAKE YOUR
MOUTH WATER.
SEAN: OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH
THE WOODS, IN SEARCH OF
CRANBERRIES.
ON A BEAUTIFUL NOVEMBER
SATURDAY, THE PARKER RIVER
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE INVITED
JUST OVER TWO DOZEN PEOPLE TO BE
PART OF THE FIRST-EVER PUBLIC
TOUR OF A CRANBERRY BOG ON PLUM
ISLAND.
>> SO THIS IS A BARRIER ISLAND
AT THE MOUTH OF THE MERRIMAC
RIVER.
WE HAVE A VARIETY OF THINGS.
THE ONE WE ARE ALL HERE FOR OUR
NATIVE CRANBERRIES.
THEY'RE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE
EASTERN U.S. WHERE WE HAVE WET,
SANDY AREAS WITH FRESH WATER,
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE
HERE.
SEAN: EMMALEE BOWERS TARRY IS A
LIFELONG BIRDER.
SHE HAS SPENT DECADES LOOKING
THROUGH BINOCULARS AT THIS VERY
SPOT, BUT HAD NO IDEA THAT WHAT
-- HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS
LOOKING AT ALL THESE YEARS.
>> THEY BROUGHT THE VOLUNTEERS
OUT HERE AND SHOWED US THIS
CRANBERRY BOG, AND I SAID, WAI
A MINUTE, I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR
30 YEARS AND I HAVEN'T SEEN
THIS.
SEAN: THE BOG IS IN AN AREA OF
THE REFUGE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC,
BUT VISIBLE FROM THE BOARDWALK.
>> I GUESS WHEN I THINK OF A BOG
I THINK OF A WATERY PLACE, AND
CLEARLY THERE IS WATER IN THERE,
BUT WHERE WE ARE PICKING I AM ON
MY HANDS AND KNEES AND NOT
GETTING TOO WET.
AND THEY'RE JUST RIGHT THER
SEAN: DESPITE WHAT MOST BELIEVE,
CRANBERRIES DO NOT GROW IN
WATER.
BECAUSE THEY FLOAT, SOME BOGS
ARE FLOODED WHEN THE FRUIT IS
READY TO BE HARVESTED.
>> IT'S A TREASURE, THE BOG IS A
REAL TREASURE, AND IT'S AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE REFUGE TO
PROTECT SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
SEAN: SO WHAT IS DONE TODAY WITH
THIS LITTLE RED SUPER FRUIT?
LAURA BROWN, OWNER OF THE NEW
ENGLAND BISCUIT COMPANY, IS
USING THEM TO ADD SOME COLOR TO
HER COOKIES THIS HOLIDAY SEASO
>> A BISCUIT IS THE BRITISH NAME
FOR COOKIE, SO WE ARE REALLY
MAKING COOKIES, BUT SHORTBREAD,
EVERYONE LOVES SHORTBREAD.
CRANBERRIES ARE NOT SUPER SWEET
AT ALL, FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS EVER
HAD THEM.
THERE IS JUST ENOUGH SUGAR IN
THE RECIPE TO COUNTERACT THAT,
BUT YET YOU STILL GET A LITTLE
OF THE TARTNESS IN THE BISCUIT
WHEN YOU EAT IT.
SEAN: TRUST US WHEN WE TELL YOU,
THERE MAY BE NO BETTER SMELL IN
THE WORLD THAN A KITCHEN THAT'S
BEEN COOKING SHORTBREAD ALL DAY.
>> THE RECIPE IS TOP SECRET, BUT
I CAN TELL YOU THAT THERE ARE
ONLY FOUR INGREDIENTS IN A
TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH RECIPE, AND
THEY ARE BUTTER, SUGAR, FLOUR,
AND SALT, IF THE BUTTER ISN'T
SALTED.
IT'S PERFECTLY FINE TO KNEAD
THIS A LITTLE BIT.
WE ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT GLUTEN
FORMATION.
IT'S PRETTY TOUGH.
SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD, SCOTS,
WE'RE PRETTY TOUGH, SO --
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, I
ALWAYS HAVE TO SMACK IT.
SEAN: THIS NEW FLAVOR TO THE NEW
ENGLAND BISCUIT COMPANY LINEUP
IS A NOD TO BOTH LAURA'S PAST
AND PRESENT.
>> THIS ONE IS SO GREAT BECAUSE
I GET TO USE THE ALMONDS THAT
ARE VERY TRADITIONAL AND RECALL
THE HISTORIC RECIPE FROM
SCOTLAND, WITH A PRODUCT, A
FRUIT FOUND HERE IN THE NEW
WORLD, WHICH IS THE CRANBERRY.
SO WE HAVE GOT THE BEST OF BOTH
WORLDS IN THIS RECIPE.
SEAN: AND A PLATE OF THESE
BISCUITS JUST MIGHT SECURE YOUR
NAME ON THE NICE LIST THIS YEAR.
>> SANTA CLAUS LOVES THESE
BISCUITS, BY THE WAY, AND YOU
SCORE BETTER PRESENTS WHEN YOU
PUT A NEW ENGLAND COMPANY
BISCUI -- YOU PUT A NEW ENGLAND
BISCUIT COMPANY BISCUIT OUT ON
HIS PLATE.
SEAN: CRANBERRIES ARE COOKING
YEAR-ROUND IN DOVER AT LITTLE
ACRE GOURMET
>> I LOVE CRANBERRIES.
I LIKE THE TARTNESS.
I REALLY LOVE SWEET AND TART
TOGETHER.
SEAN: THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR
LITTLE ACRE GOURMET'S CRANBERRY
SAUCE STARTS FLYING OFF THE
SHELVES OF STORES ALL OVER THE
COUNTR
>> OUR CRANBERRY SAUCE IS MADE
WITH A LITTLE JIM BEAM BOURBON,
A LITTLE CITRUS AND CINNAMON, SO
IT IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN YOUR
ORDINARY CRANBERRY SAUCE.
WE THINK THIS IS THE PERFECT
BALANCE OF SWEET AND TART.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE DESCRIBED THIS
CRANBERRY SAUCE AS A FINE WINE.
INITIALLY WHEN YOU TASTE IT, YOU
TASTE THE CRANBERRY.
AT SOME POINT YOU MIGHT TASTE
THE BOURBON, DEPENDING ON YOUR
PALATE, AND THEN YOU TASTE T
CITRUS AND A LITTLE BIT OF
CINNAMON AS WELL.
IT IS LIKE ONE FLAVOR FOLLOWS
THE OTHER.
SEAN: NO ONE WILL ARGUE THAT
CRANBERRY SAUCE IS PART OF
HOLIDAY CULTURE AROUND THE
COUNTRY, BUT TRINA WILL ARGUE
THERE IS NO REASON TO KICK
CRANBERRY TO THE CURB ONCE THE
LEFTOVERS ARE GONE.
>> IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE
SOME CRANBERRY SAUCE, LIKE WITH
A TURKEY SANDWICH OR CHICKEN
SALAD.
YOU SHOULDN'T SAVE IT JUST FOR
THANKSGIVING, YOU SHOULD USE IT
ALL YEAR ROUND.
SEAN: BACK IN THE BOG, THE
CRANBERRY PICKERS ARE ENJOYING
HARVESTING THEIR CRANBERRIES THE
WAY IT WAS DONE BEFORE THE FIRST
THANKSGIVING.
>> WE JUST LOVE BEING OUT IN
NATURE, AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD
BE A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR TH
KIDS TO SEE HOW THE CRANBERRY
BOGS -- HOW EVERYTHING HAPPENS
OUT HERE.
>> AND WE REALLY LIKE HOW THE
CRANBERRIES LOOK.
SEAN: THESE NATURE LOVERS HAVE
BIG PLANS FOR THEIR NATIVE
BERRIES.
>> PROBABLY MAKE RELISH FOR THE
BIG DAY.
>> EAT THEM.
WE WERE THINKING MAYBE WE WOULD
BE DOING MUFFINS, BUT NOW WE ARE
THINKING MAYBE IT WILL GET US
THROUGH THANKSGIVING.
>> THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
WE HAVE A FEW THINGS COMING
TOGETHER -- CRANBERRIES,
SOMETHING WE CAN TAKE HOME AND
EAT, THANKSGIVING AND A CHANCE
TO THINK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF
THIS AREA.
AND REALLY, IF YOU SQUINT A
LITTLE BIT, THIS IS WHAT THE
EARLY COLONISTS SAW WHEN THEY
ARRIVED ON PLUM ISLAND.