The desire for cranberries on a Thanksgiving table doesn’t end in wartime. Perhaps it is then that their presence is even more important, when food has the power to remind far-off troops of home and family. During World War II, the government made extraordinary efforts to make sure all enlisted personnel had a traditional Thanksgiving meal, complete with its iconic cranberry sauce. This effort was a way of recognizing the sacrifices troops were making and boosting morale.

Dehydration makes it possible.

In wartime, sending vast quantities of fresh fruit to far-flung locations was impractical, so the government ordered dehydrated cranberries. Dehydrating foods was an important strategy for feeding huge numbers of people economically and efficiently. Foods preserved in this way were lightweight and compact, making them easier to ship and store. Removing the water also acted as a preservative, extending shelf-life. Luckily, cranberries had an advantage over other dehydrated foods – they rehydrated well, maintaining both their bright red cranberry color and true cranberry taste.

In 1942 alone, Uncle Sam purchased enough cranberries to prepare 183,147,000 servings!¹ To satisfy this demand, Ocean Spray operated their No. 5 plant in Plymouth in three shifts, 24 hours a day, for several months. The dehydration process began by cooking the cranberries in water and straining out the seeds and skins from the resulting puree. The mixture was poured over a large, heated drum which instantly evaporated the moisture, leaving a thin, dry, paper-like sheet. Workers then flaked this sheet, reduced it to a powder, and packaged it.² Once the powdered cranberries reached their destination, the cook simply boiled the flakes with sugar and water for one minute to allow the sauce to gel.