Finding a Cranberry Harvest in Beautiful Whitesbog, New Jersey

A few Octobers ago, we decided to try and see a cranberry harvest in Whitesbog, New Jersey.  It always looked so appealing in cranberry juice commercials – so pristine, a sea of round crimson berries against a clear blue sky.  The truth, we found, was a bit messier.

Historic Village of Whitesbog, New Jersey

We started out by visiting the little historic village at Whitesbog, New Jersey. Located in a preserve in the pine barrens, this little town developed around the cranberry harvest in the 1800’s.  The general store is full of interesting knickknacks and tasty delights – uniquely flavored honey, nuts and of course, all types of jams, sauces and other cranberry creations.  Lucky for us, there also happened to be a band sitting in rockers on the porch, playing bluegrass music.

Founded in 1857, Whitesbog Village now hosts a collection of 25 historic buildings. Blueberries were first cultivated here in 1916. The village is free to visit with a pretty large, free parking lot. The preserve is open daily sunrise to sunset. The general store is only open on Saturdays from 10 to 2:00, or 3:00, depending on the season.

When we visited, we parked at the general store. From there, we headed down a trail in search of cranberries.  I knew that the preserve hosted tours of the cranberry harvest, along with other special events. But, our September had been so busy that we weren’t able to get to one.  In between tours you could “self tour” if you wanted to see the cranberries getting ready for harvest. So, this is what we hoped to do one fine day in early October.

Preserve of Whitesbog, New Jersey

We headed down the trail and were soon back in the haven of the pine barrens, surrounded by the bogs. In the distance, the water was a deep, clear blue reflecting the sky.  Up close, there were all types of things growing in it. We saw lovely water lilies (mostly just lily pads now), scrubby brush and leafless trees. The trees along the path were mostly still green. But, there were a few that had already turned brilliant shades of scarlet and coral.  Wild blueberries and cranberries, goldenrod, Queen Anne’s lace, and little purple daisies were abundant.

We went on for a while without seeing any pools of floating cranberries, and started to get hot. The kids were beginning to complain, despite the beauty of their surroundings. Since many trails were drivable, we decided to explore by car for a while. We drove for what seemed like many miles through the preserve, not sure where to go. The preserve is quite large – about 3000 acres, which is just under 5 square miles. As we drove these miles, stopping here and there, we came across a wide variety of interesting mushrooms, but still no cranberry pools.

Cranberry Farm near Whitesbog

Finally, we returned to the village and asked for directions. We ended up heading out of the preserve and crossing a highway into a farm. There we immediately found our cranberry pools, but they were more like cranberry mud ditches. There were diggers and large plastic piping to pump water in so that the berries will float. It didn’t look like the commercials.

Still, I was undeterred.  We like to see where things come from, how food is grown and processed. So onward we drove along the gravel road through the empty, muddy fields around the industrial equipment until we found a parking area… and were immediately asked to leave.

Oops!  It seems you can’t just drive around at your leisure on private property. The folks who flagged us down politely explained that during the actual harvest, the farm closes for reasons of safety and efficiency.  I’m still glad we got to take a quick glance at the harvest, and Whitesbog is a beautiful place to visit. I imagine it would be fun in any season, not just cranberry season. I’m still hoping that one year, we’ll manage to take the tour, but until then, we have to settle with our memories of getting kicked out of a cranberry farm!

Other fun events that you can plan to attend at Whitesbog include a blueberry fest throughout weekends in June with live music from local root bands and performers, wagon rides, and food vendors. Also moonlight walks, which are guided tours that happen on the Saturday of the month closest to the full moon. There are guided daytime tours of the Pinelands as well, and tours of the gardens of Elizabeth White (an enterprising woman who grew the cranberries and blueberries around which the village developed). There are also spooky lantern tours around Halloween, and holiday tours around Christmas.

For more fun things to do in New Jersey, check out our post on Things to do in New Jersey with Kids.