The “Bizarre Foods” host told Tasting Table, “I’m talking about whole fruit — not sweetened, just the cranberries themselves.” Zimmern continued, “There are going to be frozen cranberries from last year that are going to be in grocery freezers, and if you’re making sauce from them, they’re going to break down when you’re cooking them anyway.” In 2022, as folks readied for Thanksgiving, a cranberry shortage plagued the United States.
This year, the farmers (as well as society in general) are dealing with higher economic pressures — increased fertilizer and fuel prices are just a few of the obvious issues. Zimmern predicts that cranberries are “going to be very expensive this year” due to the fact that the “two big states that were producing cranberries had fairly dry summers.” New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Washington are among the major North American production areas. Notably, Chelmer Foods reported that in Wisconsin, one of the world’s top cranberry producers, growers have dealt with “intense heat” and cold stretches.