The healthy power berry - also known as chokeberry - from North America is not yet widespread in this country. But more and more garden owners are planting the delicious fruit - no wonder, because Aronia is not only healthy, but can also be processed in an extremely versatile way.

Freeze fresh aronia berries right away

Anyone who has aronia bushes in their garden knows that this plant produces high yields. So what to do with all the many delicious berries that ripen quickly within a short period of time? The healthy components of the aronia berry are best preserved if you freeze them immediately after harvesting. You don't even need a large freezer for this, because the freezer compartment in the fridge will do the same. Wash the freshly picked berries thoroughly under running water and then pack them in the desired portion size in freezer bags or well-sealed freezer containers. The frozen berries can be stored in the freezer for about three months.

What you can use frozen aronia berries for

  • as an ingredient in muesli
  • as a fruity component of cakes, tarts and muffins
  • as a component of fruit sauces or compotes for hearty dishes such as B. Wild
  • for compotes and desserts
  • as an ingredient in smoothies

How can fresh chokeberries be further processed?

Otherwise, the tart berries are ideal for cooking as part of multi-fruit jams and marmalades. Aronia goes particularly well with rather sweet fruits, especially apples or pears. But apricots, quinces or currants also go very well with chokeberries. You can cook aronia jelly from aronia and elderberry juice. The rather sweet blueberries round off such a jelly in terms of taste. Freshly squeezed aronia juice is a real pick-me-up, especially as a multi-fruit juice in combination with apple or pear juice. With a share of around 80 percent, aronia berries have an above-average juice yield. The berries can also be processed into syrup, liqueurs and fruit wine. The dried and crushed berries make a delicious fruit tea.

tips and tricks

Aronia berries taste quite tart fresh from the bush. However, the berries will be sweeter if you wait until after the first frost to harvest them - provided blackbirds and other garden birds don't snatch the delicious berries from under your nose. Alternatively, you can of course freeze them.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden