Residents of a small town in New Jersey celebrate the cranberries that herald the arrival of fall.
By ARLINE and SAM BLEECKER
Published September 18, 2005
[Photo: Sam Bleecker]
Cranberries form a red frosting on a bog that will be harvested by hand near Chatsworth, NJ.
CHATSWORTH, N.J. - Every October there's one little town in New Jersey that, metaphorically, paints itself red - cranberry red, to be exact.
Ordinarily, Chatsworth's population hovers at around 1,200. But on a single autumn weekend, nearly 100,000 visitors come for the cranberry fest, flocking to this oasis in the heart of the Pine Barrens, a coastal plain of pigmy and pitch pines about a 45-minute drive from Philadelphia or Atlantic City.
In early fall, the scrubby landscape erupts with a profusion of cranberries. In fact, the New Jersey crop - mainly from the Chatsworth area - is said to be the third-largest in the United States, after those of Wisconsin and Massachusetts.
Farming was a big shift from the previous economies that kept the town going. In the late 1700s, Chatsworth was called Shamong and its wealth derived from the iron deposits used to make cannonballs in the Revolutionary War. Then came timber interests and sawmills.
Just before the Civil War, Shamong went upscale and became a destination for wealthy families such as the Astors and the Vanderbilts, who stepped out of private railroad cars to vacation here or at the nearby beaches.
But the town relied increasingly on agriculture for its economy, with cranberries the significant crop. By the mid 1800s, the town contained one church, two stores, one school, a wheelwright and blacksmith shop, a railroad station and about 20 houses. The population was fewer than 400.
Preservationists decided that celebrating cranberries could be used to raise funds for the remaining historic building. The long-neglected White Horse Inn - a clapboard, two-story structure on Main Street - was once owned by a Pine Barrens baron when the railroad passed through here and this prominent man hosted the society swells.
The festival, largely a display of artworks and crafts, is in its 22nd year, and the Inn's restoration has been ongoing about that long. From the looks of the building on our visit, it will be a while before it is finished.
Bogged down with festivities
On festival day, the town is crowded, with many folks clad in clothing that is cranberry-colored or shades thereof. By 10:45 a.m., traffic gluts Chatsworth's main drag, though the place is surprisingly quiet.
Cranberries are the major topic. The conversation might be as simple as one resident opining that she doesn't enjoy cranberry relish running into her mashed potatoes so she adds Jell-O to her version of it.
A gaggle of corporate types, presumably here from the nearby Ocean Spray factory, discourse on Craisins, the company's name for its sweetened and slightly dried cranberries.
In the coffee shop, which now boasts a standing-room only crowd, a waitress jokingly suggests to a local that next time, he should call ahead for a reservation. Meanwhile, she eases the wait by offering cranberry muffins.
More than 160 vendors, almost all wearing red-hued aprons or T-shirts, line the streets. They sell everything from just cranberries to crafts to yard sale items.
Many of the baked goods, such as cranberry-apple dumplings in caramel sauce, actually are made in a bakery in nearby Medford. Priced at $6 for three, the gigantic dumplings beat out funnel cakes any time.
For those interested in observing the actual harvesting of the cranberries, tours are available at historic Whitesbog, in nearby Browns Mills, a 10-minute drive from festival central. The $7 fee provides a two-hour trip that includes a 20-minute documentary and a spin in a 30-passenger vehicle to see acres of berries bobbing gently atop the water in which they grow.
During our festival visit, Neva Moore, a fifth-generation "cranberry," as she refers to herself, tooled us around her 42 acres of bogs. She was driving a van, cranberry red of course.
A fruit unlike any other
"Cranberries are such a staple in our house," Moore says, "that the only thing we don't eat them on is pizza."
The berries are quite different from other produce, Moore added with pride evident. The shallow, watery tracts and method of picking reminded us of rice paddies. Tethered on threadlike stems, the buoyant berries create a startling crimson panorama that glistens like gemstones in the sunlight.
Poised at the edge of a bog, Moore's husband, Sam, stood atop a contraption that resembled a rickety weaving loom on steroids. Berry pickers in rubber boots waded in the water. Using gigantic hoses, they quickly and efficiently swept berries toward Moore's machine.
Though harvesting arrives just in time for Thanksgiving, in all likelihood the cranberries you'll eat this coming Turkey Day will be last year's crop. The harvested berries are hard as marbles; turning the crop into cans of cranberry relish takes so long, the industry uses the older crop to ensure timely delivery to wholesalers and retailers.
Aside from touring the bogs, the festival's big event is the cranberry contest. Categories include recipes for all manner of baked goods, salads, relishes, main dishes, candy, jams and jellies, diet and low-fat, juice and teas, and desserts.
Some entries could win for creativity alone: a cranberry potato salad made with red potatoes, walnuts, dill, cranberries and mustard. Or the chocolate biscotti with cranberries and almonds?
Interestingly, most of the commercially made treats sold here were made in that other Cranberry Central, Cape Cod, Mass.
- Arline and Sam Bleecker are freelance journalists living in Millington, N.J.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE: Chatsworth is about 38 miles southeast of Philadelphia, which has direct air service from Tampa Bay, and about 50 miles west of Atlantic City, which does not have direct service.
THE FESTIVAL: The 22nd annual Cranberry Festival is slated for Oct. 15-16. Admission is free, though a recommended $5 donation will let you park at the local school, off Second Street. A brochure at the festival's information booth gives a brief history of Chatsworth and the White Horse Inn.
Judging for the Cranberry Recipe Contest begins about 11 a.m. Saturday. Cranberry recipe entries must be submitted at the recipe booth by 10 that day.
Additional festival events include breakfast served each day from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Chatsworth Volunteer Firehouse; band performances from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and a photography contest. There also will be a quilt display, and more than 35 antiques dealers will ply their wares.
To sign up for cranberry bog tours, contact the Whitesbog Preservation Trust at 609 893-4646, or go to www.whitesbog.org Whitesbog is located at mile marker 13 on Route 530, southeast of Browns Mills, in Pemberton Township.
For a first-time visitor, Chatsworth and the surrounding region can seem the middle of nowhere. But the area and nearby towns have enough worthwhile discoveries to make for a weekend outing.
For instance, after your bog tour, take in Whitesbog's history and natural setting. Whitesbog was the center of the J.J. White blueberry and cranberry operation, from shortly after the Civil War through the 1940s. In 1967, the state purchased the village along with many surrounding farms to create the Pinelands National Reserve. The village is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk and the Preservation Trust offers seasonal interpretive events, including tours, canoeing, kayaking and trails to hikes. Bring binoculars for bird watching.
Another of New Jersey's historic villages is Batsto Village, located nearby in the Wharton State Forest (on Route 542 in Washington Township). Today, Batsto is a quiet place, but from the late 1700s through the 1800s it was an industrial center where as many as 1,000 people resided.
During the American Revolution, the bog iron works here provided the Continental Army with munitions, kettles, wagons and parts for ships. When the iron business declined in the 1850s, the operation switched to making window glass.
In 1954, the state of New Jersey bought all of the land and is still preserving and restoring Batsto Village to its late 19th century image.
Batsto Village is open every day from dawn until dusk. The visitor's center is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the village is free, but there is a $2 fee to tour the mansion. Batsto offers lake fishing, nature trails, canoeing and hiking.
For more information, call (609) 561-3262.
STAYING THERE: The closest accommodations are about a 20-minute drive from Chatsworth.
In the bed-and-breakfast category, the Iris Inn at Medford, 45 S Main St.; (609) 654-7528, offers nine rooms at rates from $80 to $165. The beautifully preserved 1904 Victorian home in the heart of Medford Village boasts a great fireplace.
And the Isaac Hilliard House Bed and Breakfast in Pemberton, 31 Hanover St.; toll-free 1-800-371-0756, offers four rooms at rates from $85 to $165.
The sprawling region makes an ideal getaway for campers. For information on campsites at Wharton State Park, call (609) 561-0024.
And Wading Pines Camping Resort, toll-free 1-888-726-1313, is in Jenkins, about 12 miles south of Chatsworth. In addition to campsites, cabins range from $35 to $50 per night, based on double occupancy.
