Bonnie: A cranberry bog? I couldn’t resist when the folks at Ocean Spray offered the opportunity to actually go into one and help harvest cranberries. What fun, I thought.

After giving a talk on food trends at Expo East, a natural products show in DC, I boarded the commuter jet to Boston on my way to East Sandwich, Cape Cod.

I’m an anomaly when traveling—actually looking forward to the chance person I will be spending time with on the flight. Think about it: you’re adjacent to somebody, often for hours and, on overnight flights, sleeping closer than you might with a significant other in a queen-size bed.

Many of the men I’ve met on planes have changed my life. Yes, men, not women. And, no I didn’t become a member of the mile-high club. I just connected to them.

Lanky Nick Price and I clicked as soon as we began talking.

“I’m a food writer. I eat for a living,” I said patting my ample hips.

“Oh, you review restaurants.” (everyone’s first response to what I do)

“Not exactly. I write about food, not about restaurants.”

“But I bet you know good ones,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling when he spoke.

From restaurant recommendations to hotels (his business), from computers to PDAs—once our conversation started it didn’t stop until we each got our bags and left the luggage carousel inside Logan terminal.

Somewhere along the non-stop chatter I mentioned (as I usually do) my sons and how one was moving to New York City and would be looking for a restaurant position. Then he mentioned that his company, the Mandarin Oriental (MO), was about to open a restaurant in the Time Warner Building and they were hiring. Perfect timing. We beamed info to and from each other’s PDAs; with that, a couple of emails, some introductions and an interview later, Bryan was on the opening team of Asiate, the restaurant in the MO.

That’s just a smidgeon of Nick’s impact, but that’s all that I’m getting into right now, as I got a bit sidetracked. Typical. Back to cranberries.

Donning rubber gear, each of us at the event entered the cold water in the bog and helped harvest the cranberries—white cranberries at the time we were there (as you can see in the photo), which are just immature red ones.

Cranberries are good for you. Not only do they provide antioxidant vitamins and flavonoids, but they also have an anti-adhesion quality that keeps certain bacteria from sticking to cells in the urinary tract, the mouth and stomach. Cranberries are known to reduce the occurrence of urinary tract infections. Yes, I know this is mainly about food and eating, but I think this is important info to share.

A third of a cup of Craisins provides the same health benefits as 8 ounces of Cranberry Juice Cocktail. Enjoy them right out of the bag or add to cereal, yogurt, salads, and baked goods like muffins or scones.

And next time you’re on a plane, consider speaking to your seatmate. You never know who you might be sitting next to.

Bryan: I love dried fruit. There… I said it. I was given a plate of assorted dried fruits as a holiday gift recently and put the tray out (as some may present a candy dish); people were constantly picking at it, surprised at how much they enjoyed the unusual snack. I still buy Fig Newtons to keep in my house and I truly love a homemade ‘trail mix’ of peanuts, chocolate chips and Craisins. I leave a small jar of the mix on my counter and my friends always seem to eat the whole thing… the Craisins add a hint of texture and sweetness to this great snack!

Eric: Although the dried cranberry is as traditional to America as the first Thanksgiving feast, Craisins helped to redefine the “healthy snack” for me, and a lot of friends who ventured into the testing drawers while visiting our house. I, like my brother, can admit that I enjoy dried fruit, and Craisins were the product that got me hooked. As an avid baker, Craisins become a great mixture with chocolate chips for many of my scone recipes.

Get free samples or recipes from Craisins!

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