The Amazing Aronia Berry

If you love growing beautiful medicine that also attracts the pollinators, then let me introduce you to Aronia Berry, aka Chokeberry. Actually, you may have already met Aronia Berry while walking in the woods or edges of prairies in the Midwest of America.

Officially named Aronia melanocarpa, this cold hardy North American native woody shrub is worth adding to your landscape for its adaptability, form, fall color, and, of course, its fruits!

Knowing + Growing

The Aronia Berry tends to stay around 8 feet tall (depending on variety) and is much less picky about soil as it has deeper roots than the Elderberry. They are hardy to -40F or USDA Zone 3. They also don’t have any pest issues and are disease resistant.

I’ve been successfully growing the common Viking variety for five years now in Zone 4. We’re growing and harvesting berries from my front yard from 2 mature bushes. We get about 4 pounds of fruit total. This amount is more than enough to keep us in Aronia Berry immunity syrup heaven, and extras for smoothies too. We would likely get more of a harvest if I amend the sandy soil. Maybe someday, ha! They produce beautiful clusters of the deepest dark purple (pretty much black) berries—which is where the anthocyanin comes in…

Powerful Plant Chemistry

Anthocyanin gives the dark superfruits their super powers. The purple-black berries of both Aronia and Elderberries pretty much blow away other commonly revered superfoods with their antioxidant levels.

Antioxidant levels in food are measured by Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). ORAC measures the overall antioxidant power of a food or supplement. USDA research shows Aronia Berries have one of the highest antioxidant content of any fruits, according to the Aronia Berry Services of Northeast Iowa.

There’s quite the list of berries that grow in our Zone 4 Midwest region: Aronia Berry, Elderberry, Wild Blueberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Cherry. Each of these contains elevated levels of antioxidants. Our local food system is providing for us, keeping us from needing to fly food halfway across the world to boost our immunity and up our antioxidants. Thank you, Mother Nature!

Comparing Berries

Both Aronia and Elderberry grow to between 6 and 10 feet tall. They will produce better in full sun, but they don’t mind a little afternoon shade. Elderberries prefer it wetter than Aronia. Aronia are self-fertile while Elderberry require another variety for pollination. Both will start producing more fruit about 2-3 years after planting.

Raw elderberries (the berries, leaves, bark, and roots) contain both lectin and cyanide, which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, so ALWAYS cook elderberries before consuming! Aronia berries may be eaten raw, or frozen and added to smoothies.

I love a good blueberry, but they do require a specific pH, so test your soil before planting, as changing soil pH is a very difficult task! Chokecherry (Prunus Virginiana) grows more like a tree up to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide and produces smaller berries (like pin cherries) but are adored by birds and humans alike.

How to Use Your Aronia Berries

Aronia berries are the driest berries I’ve ever worked with, so they do lend themselves to dehydrating and adding to trail mix.

I really enjoy using frozen aronia berries in place of blueberries in my morning smoothies. I think the dairy (or oat/almond milk) really balances out the tart berries nicely. Adding greens and other fruits helps too.

I’ve also baked with them, making scones and muffins. Although I compensated for the astringent berries with a sweeter than normal dough, they still weren’t my family’s favorite.

But for our family, we mostly use these in the immunity boosting aronia syrup recipe below. I especially love being able to add our home-grown ginger into this recipe. You can absolutely use a combination of elderberries and aronia berries in this recipe.

Aronia Syrup Recipe

• 3 Cups aronia berries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ Cup filtered water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1-2 tsp cloves
• 1-2 inches of ginger, sliced or grated
• 1 cup + Honey (Raw + local if possible)

Simmer with lid on in a non-reactive pan for 15-20 minutes, adding water as needed to keep from scorching.

Cool, remove cinnamon stick, and strain. I place the cooked pulp into a (very stained) jelly bag and squeeze out every last drop of juice by hand. You may want to wear rubber/latex gloves to avoid staining your hands (the stain wears off in a day or two).

Pour into a very clean glass jar.

Mix in honey to taste (I find we use less honey in aronia berry syrup than elderberry syrup).

Stores in refrigerator for 1 month. I prefer to make a small batch every month or so rather than a bigger batch that might spoil.

Dark Blue Deep Dive

If you’re interested in adding more of these antioxidant-rich plants to your landscape and diet, check out Honeyberry USA for a wide selection of high anthocyanin fruiting shrubs. Or consider connecting with the Blue Fruit Farm for a delivery of Minnesota-grown berries, syrups, jams, and jellies in the Twin Cities. They also sell elderberry canes for those interested in growing out their own stock.

If you’re looking for the finished product at your local farmer’s market, check out the fine ladies with Sailor Mercy.

Have I tempted you to grow more of your own medicine?

Let me know what you think!

Dig In,

Michelle