Celebrating the First Day of Fall with Ocean Spray®

I've partnered with Ocean Spray® to celebrate their Cranberry Classroom in NYC. Thank you for supporting Baby Meets City! 

On the first day of fall, the girls and I waded into a 1500 square foot cranberry bog in the midst of Rockefeller Center®. Yes, really! We were there to celebrate the bicentennial of the first cultivated cranberry harvest with multi-generational Ocean Spray® cranberry growers and their families. We had a blast on this not-so-typical Thursday afternoon, which was as educational as it was entertaining.

In addition to truly getting a "hands on" experience in the bog (Millie had a blast raking those cranberries!), we ventured through 3 other activity stations in the #CranberryClassroom, which had been open to visitors from 12-4pm that day. 

In the first station, the girls learned a few facts that I found interesting, including this gem: did you know that cranberries are one of just three native fruits cultivated in North America? The other two are the blueberry and Concord grape, for the record. No wonder we eat so many on Thanksgiving!

Next, we planted our own cranberry vine, and got to take one home to see what happens! The girls have high hopes for these little plants (keep your fingers crossed).

Before we hopped into the bog (which was naturally the major highlight of the afternoon), we also checked out a virtual cranberry harvest experience -- fascinating! The girls put on headphones and looked into a viewfinder with an iPhone inside. The video inside was just beautiful, complete with music and a feeling of really being there, even as we stood in the middle of Rockefeller Center®. In fact, if you want to check it out yourself, head to The Most Beautiful Harvest for your own fully immersive, 360 degree experience. The site was designed to celebrate the beauty of the cranberry harvest (from fruit to bottle), and I highly recommend it!

Not surprisingly, our afternoon at the #CranberryClassroom has us inspired to try a few new cranberry recipes this fall, and all year long, in fact. I'm excited to have found this recipe from The Kitchn for Yogurt Covered Cranberries. Looks like a delicious snack, right?

Photo credit: The Kitchn

As you're pulling together lunches, snacks, desserts (you name it!), remember America's favorite fruit. I so appreciated being able to connect with Ocean Spray® in celebration of the first day of fall, and really feel like I understand the history and heritage behind the cranberry, and the American farmers that are passionate about what they grow and are able to share with all of us. 

Disclosure: Thank you to Ocean Spray® for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own.