A good cranberry should bounce 12 inches to ensure the finest quality fruit. The bounce test has been used since the 1800s to determine the quality of cranberries. Today, farmers utilize a bounce board separator, which “bounces” cranberries from one angled wooden board to another. Cranberries that don’t make the bounce slip into a hopper for compost. Only the very best cranberries are selected for the table, while much of the remaining bouncing berries become juice. Only ripe berries bounce, as well, so the bounce test can determine when to harvest. Now is a great time for fresh cranberries, as the harvest time for them in North America is from mid-September to mid-November.