Centennial Cranberry Farm, established in 1876, is open for tours between the hours of 12 noon and 5 p.m. every day from Memorial Day Weekend through October 31st. Come out to this historic farm north of Paradise MI and find out how those tasty cranberries get from the farm to your table.

If you are in Paradise in October, come out and watch the cranberry picking and see the picking machines in action. Fresh picked cranberries can be purchased at the Cranberry Farm during Harvest season.

Harvest time is usually Mid-October. Cranberries are harvested in two ways, for sauce and juice or as fresh berries.

Fresh fruit is usually harvested first. Machines that comb the berries from the vines are used for the fresh fruit (photo at right). Shaped similar to lawn mowers, these machines are walked through the dry bed and the berries are combed, lifted and dropped into a box at the back of the machine.

The berries are then sorted with a Bailey Separator (photo below). The fresh berries are picked, cleaned, sorted, and bagged right at the Farm.

When made into sauce or juice, the berries are usually harvested in a flooded bed. A machine called a water reel harvester, or beater, is used to "beat" the berries from the vines. It is probably more accurate to say that the machine vibrates the ripe berries which dislodges them from the vines and they float on the water.

The berries harvested for juice and sauce are sold to Cliffstar Corporation of Dunkirk, N.Y. Cliffstar is the largest private label processor in this country and processes cranberry, grape and apple juice for Walmart, Sam's brand, among others.

Included in your tour are written displays, machinery, antiques, photos, and other interesting information about the Cranberry Farm. The beds are right by the buildings and you can walk out and see cranberries growing on the vines. The cost of the tour is $10 per carload.

Jenny's Cranberry Gift Shop has wonderful cranberry sauce and cranberry butter for sale as well as other gifts with the cranberry theme. If you are unable to visit at harvest time, you can pick up the 26 minute Harvest Video to watch the cranberry pickers in action. Great video for young and old alike to learn about how cranberries grow and are harvested.

If you do not wish a tour, you are welcome to look around the farm yard and visit Jenny's Cranberry Gift Shop.   Centennial Cranberry Farm is open for tours between the hours of 12 noon and 5 p.m. every day from Memorial Day Weekend through October 31st.

Directions to the Centennial Cranberry Farm: Take Whitefish Point Road north from Paradise towards the lighthouse for about 10 miles. There is a big sign for the Cranberry Farm on the right side of the road.Turn left (west) onto Wildcat Road and go 2 miles down Wildcat Road and the Centennial Cranberry Farm is on the left. Turn left and go down the driveway towards the fields, where you will see the old Whitefish Point Post Office and Jenny's Cranberry Gifts. This is the start of your tour. The historic post office was where Loren's grandmother "Jenny" was the postmaster from 1907 to 1916.

Call Sharon House at 906-492-3314 or E-Mail for more information and harvest dates or to purchase the Harvest Video and Cranberry Gifts.

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