Addiction to the bog cranberry (aka true cranberry or swamp cranberry or moss cranberry) is a pretty healthy indulgence. The tart fruit contains loads of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A, carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Purported health benefits include fighting cancer, slowing or reversing tooth decay, and curing urinary tract infections among other forms of relief. It's no wonder they are sometimes called super fruit. Since you have to hike and often climb to find them, harvesting is excellent exercise as well.

What to look for in a high, boggy area near you: low, creeping shrubs up to 20 centimeters high, with small pointy evergreen leaves and individual or clustered berries. The cranberry, larger than the leaves of the plant, begins white. It is actually edible in this stage and turns deep red when fully ripe. Even deep-red cranberries are quite tart.

Native Americans are reported to have introduced the cranberry to starving English settlers in Massachusetts around 1620, who incorporated the berry into the traditional Thanksgiving feast. We typically find cranberry sauce or relish as a colorful addition to the Thanksgiving plate, and supermarkets are stocked with fresh cranberries and all varieties of sauce as that holiday approaches.

You can freeze the cranberries you pick through autumn and winter, turn them into your own sauce or relish and can, or continue to include them in fresh baked goods, your morning cereal and evening meal as the nights lengthen. The color and tartness of the cranberry is a good complement to sweet and savory food alike.

Most avid harvesters are creative cooks, too. They are bound to have a favorite recipe for cranberry bread or muffins that they will happily share, on paper or on your plate. For a different seasonal treat that lends sunshine and zest to any table, try the following:

Cranberry orange pie

1 Valencia orange

2 cups cranberries, washed

1 cup sugar (or substitute honey, ¾ cup)

4 tablespoons melted butter

4 eggs

Pinch of salt

Pinch of nutmeg

1 pie crust, unbaked, in 9-inch pie pan

2 tablespoons flour

Directions: Eight hours to one day ahead, slice the whole orange as thinly as possible, remove seeds, and combine orange slices and juice with sugar. Allow to soak.

When you are ready to make the pie, preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs and add along with melted butter and salt to oranges.

Flour the bottom of the pie crust.

Mix cranberries with oranges and fill pie crust, or layer oranges and cranberries and pour remaining liquid until crust is filled. Arrange oranges and berries on top for attractive presentation.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and turn oven down to 350. Bake for another 35 to 45 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean, covering pie with foil when orange rinds begin to brown. Allow pie to cool on a rack before cutting.

Cranberries: They're not just for breakfast anymore!

• Andrea Mogil can be contacted at PieintheSkyAK@aol.com.