Aronia, also called chokeberry by us, originally comes from North America and was valued by the indigenous people living there for many centuries as a vitamin-rich and healthy winter food.

Aronia - an old, new pome fruit

The aronia owes its German name “apple berry” to its botanical affiliation with the rose family. Within this group, aronia is a pome fruit and thus an apple fruit. Like the native apple or pear, this refers to fruits whose interior is connected with an axial tissue. This axial tissue forms the core, which emerges from the carpels in the course of development from flower to fruit.

Shrub with black fruits and beautiful autumn colors

Aronia is a lush shrub that can reach a height of up to two meters. The leaves are deciduous and turn beautiful burgundy foliage in the fall. Since the beginning of the 20th century, aronia has been cultivated specifically as a commercially usable fruit, with the two species Aronia arbutifolia (the "felty chokeberry") and Aronia melanocarpa (the "black chokeberry") being of particular importance. There is also the species Aronia prunifolia, which mainly grows wild in Canada and the USA.

Aronia - uncomplicated and less susceptible to disease

There are basically three solid reasons for the great interest in extensive fruit-growing use:

  • the high health value of aronia fruits
  • the undemanding nature of the shrub in terms of soil quality and care
  • the high resistance of the plant to diseases and pests

Aronia grows on almost any soil and also requires little care. For these reasons, the shrub is suitable for almost every hobby gardener, even if they don't have the famous green thumb. Since not only the fruit but also the wood of the plant contains a high proportion of flavonoids, the plant is quite insensitive to external damage such as UV light, fungi or diseases.

Aronia berries contain many vitamins and minerals

These flavonoids, which are valuable for health, are also found in abundance in the red to almost black berries of the shrub, and the fruits also contain high concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin K and folic acid. Aronia berries are excellent for drying or freezing.

tips and tricks

Try the following unusual recipe for a delicious aronia and quince jelly: Boil 200 milliliters of aronia juice, 500 milliliters of quince juice, a pinch of cinnamon and 500 grams of preserving sugar (2:1) in a high saucepan for about five minutes until the mass gelled. Pour the still hot jelly into sterilized jars and close them tightly. The jelly also tastes good with apple or pear juice instead of quince.

Category:

Vegetable garden