Transformed from a wild fruit to a cultivated commodity, the American cranberry contains equal amounts of holiday symbolism and antioxidants. Its evolution over the past century is a surprising story of risk, enterprise, conflict, and the tension between tradition and innovation. The cranberry is characterized by the distinctive regionsfrom Cape Cod to the Pacific Northwestwhere it is grown. But the diminutive fruit has also changed the life and landscape of these places. The Cranberry: Hard Work and Holiday Sauce harvests stories, images, and observations to tell the unusual tale of an American subculture dominated by this tart little red fruit.