In the last few miles above the Cape Cod Canal, visitors to the Cape pass through the towns of Middleboro, Carver, and Wareham. To most, these places will never be more than a roadside sign, but there is life here--of a very particular sort. Beyond the highway are 11,000 acres of bog, and each fall, after the tourists have gone home, men and machines appear to harvest a third of the nation's cranberries, turkey's tablemate.

This book looks at the history of this tart and diminutive fruit, the ways it is cultivated, cared for, and consumed. It looks into the lives and livelihoods of those who harvest it--some families have been in the business for five generations. It provides a rich and surprising story of this under-appreciated berry.