ROCHESTER, Mass. – Cranberries are synonymous with Thanksgiving, and Massachusetts produces the second most cranberries of any U.S. state, behind only Wisconsin.

In Rochester, Massachusetts, just eight miles north of New Bedford, at Hartley Family Farm, they offered public tours of their cranberry bog for the first time this fall. The farm’s owners say it’s a way to generate a new revenue stream while creating an informative, interactive experience for visitors.

“This is pure joy for people to come and experience this,” said Scott Hartley of Hartley Family Farm.

Glenn Cagle, a visitor from Houston, Texas, expressed his surprise at the complexity of cranberry cultivation. “I love it,” he said. “I didn’t know there was so much involvement in the cultivation and picking. I didn’t even know there was a difference between dry and wet harvest.”

The farm showcases both wet and dry harvesting methods. Wet harvesting involves collecting cranberries from the swamp to use for cranberry sauce or juice. Dry harvesting, on the other hand, allows cranberries to be bagged and sold in the produce department.

“The dry harvest, which is what I’m most involved with, is really labor intensive,” says Hartley. “It’s old-fashioned, it’s walking, putting berries in a giant burlap sack and dragging that burlap sack out of the swamp.”

Cranberry harvest at Hartley Family Farm begins in October and continues until mid-November. Cold nights are crucial for the ripening of the berries. “When it’s cold, the berries get redder faster,” says Harley.

However, temperatures that are too low can threaten the crop. “If it gets too cold in the fall, we can lose berries, we can lose the entire crop, so we have to be very careful,” Hartley says.

An irrigation system is automatically activated to protect the berries when temperatures drop below 75 degrees, which is considered the danger zone for cranberries. “The irrigation will freeze and insulate the berries,” he explained.

Cranberry growers like the Hartleys continue to battle the elements to ensure this Thanksgiving product remains on tables across the country.