The tart red cranberry, native to Cape Cod, has thrived there for thousands of years and played an important role in the region's history. The Wampanoag called it ibimi, meaning bitter berry, and used it to make pemmican cakes, sauces, and healing poultices. In 1620 they taught the Pilgrims how to use this healthy resource. By the mid 1800s, as Cape Cod's fishing industry declined, residents turned to cultivating cranberries as a lucrative cash crop. Falling sugar prices increased demand, and commercial bogs were carved from wetlands across the Cape. Cranberries were also transported around the world in ships' hulls because they kept well and provided Vitamin C to help prevent scurvy. The berry's flower reminded colonists of the head of a crane, leading to the name craneberry, later shortened to cranberry. Today, small bogs are disappearing from the Cape Cod landscape, following the path of family farms across America.