Photo by Minnevangelist
Standing knee-deep in a cranberry marsh is one of those experiences we didn’t realize we needed to have until we were actually having it. Wading through thousands of ruby-red berries, the crisp autumn air stinging our faces, there was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill in pretending we were the stars of an Ocean Spray commercial. (Considering the actual stars of that famous ad campaign were actors, it’s not that far-fetched.)
No state in America produces more cranberries than Wisconsin, which has been cultivating the crop since the 1850s. Today, our easterly neighbors produce two-thirds of the 500 million pounds of cranberries that Americans consume annually, with about 95% of the crop used for processed products like cranberry juice and Craisins.
Contrary to popular misconception, cranberries do not grow underwater; the vine fields are only flooded when it’s harvest time. New buds can be spotted on the upright shoots in spring. By June, those hooks bloom with baby-pink blossoms. The tart berries begin turning red mid-September and reach their peak color in October. Harvest season moves fast, and growers must be on frost watch anytime the temperature dips near or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s stressful, and most farmers don’t have the capacity (or patience) to babysit tourists taking selfies in their bogs.
Photo by Minnevangelist
That’s what makes the Harvest Immersion Experience at Rooted in Red so special. Rocky and Jamie Biegel run Dempze Cranberry Co., one of 700 farms in Ocean Spray’s agricultural cooperative, and their connection to farming in the Central Sands Region, in the middle of Wisconsin, spans more than a century. Rooted in Red is the agritourism-and-retail arm of the operation, leading harvest tours, hosting farm-to-table dinners, and stocking a Pinterest-stylized gift shop with cranberry honey, cranberry soap, and elegant cranberry wreaths.
It was Jamie Biegel and her daughter, Rochelle Biegel Hoffman, who greeted us last October. Rocky was busy harvesting, as the first flurry of snow had all the growers on high alert. Together, we swilled Berry Blossom cocktails—a rummy, cran-centric drink on offer at Rooted in Red’s makeshift bar—and talked at length about Biegel Hoffman’s pollinator research at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. (She is working on her doctorate in sustainability.) Glasses emptied, we climbed into the back of a hay wagon and went bumping out to the bogs, where the corner of a single cranberry bed had been cordoned off for visitors.
Photo by Minnevangelist
We shimmied into chest-high waders and pulled on tall rubber boots before following Biegel Hoffman to the water’s edge. Moving through the beds felt surprisingly bouncy, exaggerated by the fact that we had to lift our knees high to avoid tripping on the cranberry vines. Biegel Hoffman coached us through our whole photo shoot, encouraging us to try different poses—like dipping our hands into the murky blackness of the frigid water and surfacing with handfuls of marbleized pink and deep purple cranberries. Keenly aware that most guests come to Rooted in Red for photos, she takes pains to make sure they “get the shot.” We got at least 300 we loved. “Consider your Christmas card done!” she laughed.
When we weren’t swishing around Rooted in Red’s cranberry beds, we took our 9-month-old son, Julian, for a stroller walk around Stevens Point Sculpture Park, a woodsy half-mile trail peppered with more than 40 large-scale sculptures, including an outhouse on stilts by Plover, Wisconsin-based artist James Dinkins; a 15-foot-tall reimagining of a Google Maps pin by Chicago-based artist Hannah Sawyer; and an elk centaur standing watch over a glassy lake by French artist François Lelong.
Another day, we ventured out to the Schmeeckle Reserve, a 280-acre conservancy at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, traversing its wood-chipped trails and elevated boardwalks through oak savannah and cattail marshes, eyes peeled for glimpses of white-tailed deer. We also took an early hard-hat tour of the Food + Farm Exploration Center in Plover, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2023. The educational space, backed by Farming for the Future Foundation, uses interactive exhibitions, a kitchen lab, and a 3D maker space to teach kids and teens about agricultural innovation and sustainability.
Photo by Minnevangelist
Our home base for all this cran-themed action was The Inn at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, a sprawling golf resort owned by an insurance company and known for hosting weddings and corporate retreats. Each of its 64 guest rooms have Molton Brown toiletries, mini bars with all the makings of a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, and private patios or terraces. Our patio faced thin woods that looked very Grimm’s Fairy Tales when the sun’s rays poked through the treetops. We were grateful for the glasses of New Glarus Spotted Cow handed to us upon check-in, as well as the baby-friendly resort restaurant PJ’s, which served a solid fish fry and giant Bavarian pretzels with beer dip.
On our way back to Minnesota, we drove the 50-mile Cranberry Highway between Wisconsin Rapids and Warrens, passing field after picturesque field of brilliant red berries and corridors of burnt-orange trees. Our final stop was the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center in Warrens. Housed in a historic cranberry warehouse downtown, the museum goes deep into the history of Wisconsin’s precious crop and how local growers have evolved their planting and harvesting methods over the years—an enriching way to bring the whole standing-in-a-bog-for-the-’gram experience full circle.
Photo by Minnevangelist
Where to Eat in Cranberry Country
The most interesting spots have little to do with fruit:
Brokogi (previously called Dosirak)
108 Division St., Stevens Point
This casual eatery, founded by Dongjoon Choi, a South Korean exchange student from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, was recently sold to two brothers who still bring Korean food to the area.
Feltz Family Farms
5796 Porter Drive, Stevens Point
Visitors flock to this multigenerational farm for tours of its robotic dairy, but the gift shop is a bonanza of Wisconsin-made souvenirs—some edible (string cheese, chocolate-covered cranberries), others not (cranberry-apple-marmalade soy wax candles hand-poured in Eau Claire). We resisted the siren call of deep-fried cheese curds and went for a cone scooped high with Feltz’s creamy cow pie ice cream instead.
Photo by Minnevangelist
The Main Grain Bakery & Eatery
1009 First St., Stevens Point
The grilled cheese (Swiss and Gruyere melted on rustic white bread with sweet corn butter and a pinch of flake salt) is legendary; the chicken wild rice soup with chunky Pioppini mushrooms is a sleeper hit; and the inventive sweets, from sourdough baklava to lavender-lemon shortbread cookies, inspired us to make multiple visits.
Mama Elda’s
1828 Plover Road, Plover
“Mama” Elda Benitez and her daughter Brigitte Benitez-Vargas opened this Mexican kitchen and panaderia in December 2021 and quickly became known for their generous tortas, colorful conchas, and cheeky cocktail menu inspired by Loteria cards. (To wit: the Gentrifier, which is a can of White Claw dumped into a glass of tequila, rum, and Sprite. Touché.)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Cafe
2801 Stanley St., Stevens Point
A cardboard cut-out of young Elvis greets visitors at the door of this Mexican-American diner—a vintage-y throwback done up with Formica tables, glittery red vinyl booths, and photos of ye olde movie starlets. The menu features diner classics with a Mexican twist; the machaca omelet, made with shredded beef, peppers, onion, and cheese and served with warm corn or flour tortillas, was our favorite.
