Fruit
Ben Lear
A tier
Ben Lear is an early-colouring cranberry cultivar prized for deep red pigmentation that looks premium in fresh and early processed packs. Berries can colour ahead of some peers, helping early market windows. Acid bite remains true cranberry; size is competitive for the crop. Useful where early red sells; watch for over-maturity if left too long for colour alone. Sauce from Ben Lear is vividly pigmented. Blend with later cultivars for season-long bog operations. Keep sound fruit for bounce-grade fresh channels.
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Ben Lear was named among early improved American cranberry selections.
Growers valued Ben Lear for colour in commercial beds.
Early market programmes still included Ben Lear plantings.
Ben Lear persisted in mixed cultivar bogs for pigment and timing.